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In December, 1907, I was working at Kew rather laboriously 

 and imperfectly penciling outlines of the leaves of certain types 

 of Philippine plants preserved in the Kew Herbarium, and adding 

 details of venation as well as I was able to do so with the time at 

 my command and with my very slightly developed artistic 

 ability. While thus engaged Mr. N. E. Brown called my at- 

 tention to a method used by him in making carbon rubbing 

 outlines of aroid leaves. This method he had developed in order 

 to preserve for the Kew Herbarium graphic representations of 

 certain species not represented in the collection by actual speci- 

 mens. In essentials the method described below does not differ 

 from that used by Mr. Brown, except that where he prepared his 

 own paper by smoking it over a flame, I merely substituted for 

 his home-made carbon paper ordinary typewriter carbon paper 

 that can be secured in all parts of the world. 



The leaf selected for outlining is not to be removed from the 

 specimen, but over it, as it lies attached to the stem, and perhaps 

 glued to the herbarium sheet, is placed a sheet of ordinary black 

 carbon paper, medium hard finish, with the carbon surface 

 upward. Over this is placed a piece of rather thin but firm, 

 slightly rough finish, unglazed white paper of good quality. 

 The white paper and the underlying carbon paper should then 

 be held firmly in position over the selected leaf with the one hand, 

 and rubbed with a steady firm pressure with the tips of the first 

 two fingers of the other hand. Great care should be taken that 

 the paper does not slip. The carbon paper will make an exact 

 impression of the leaf, its shape, and even the minute details of 

 its venation, on the lower surface of the white paper. As the 

 rubbing progresses the result can be inspected from time to time, 

 merely by raising the side or end of the white paper, until an 

 impression sufficiently distinct has been secured. These carbon 

 rubbings can be made very quickly, a few seconds sufficing for 

 ordinary leaves, they are very permanent, and they can be made 

 without danger of injuring ordinary botanical specimens. In 

 very thin leaves, such as those of dried specimens of Begonia, 

 dried aroid leaves, etc., while the venation is often very distinct 

 to the eye, the veins and reticulations are not sufftciently raised 



