REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 79 



make better specimens, if treated in the same manner as the 

 fleshy ones. Some Polypori are so hard and tough, that dry- 

 ing under pressure is impracticable. Entire specimens of 

 such should be arranged in drawers or on shelves, but thin 

 vertical and horizontal slices or sections may be placed on the 

 herbarium sheets. It is well to preserve such thin vertical 

 sections of all thick and bulky species, as they serve to show 

 the color and character of the internal substance and of the 

 interior of the stem. 



Fungi, parasitic on living plants or their leaves, should be 

 collected and preserved on the plants or leaves they inhabit. 

 These may be dried in the plant press, or, if more convenient, 

 between the leaves of an old book ; but it is better to use only 

 just enough pressure to keep the leaves smooth, avoiding the 

 crushing of the parasite if possible. 



The very fragile fungi, known as Myxogasters, should never 

 be placed under pressure, not even of the herbarium sheets. 

 Small paper boxes, one-fourth of an inch deep and about 

 three inches long and two wide, are convenient receptacles for 

 these. They may be glued to the herbarium sheets and 

 placed in the herbarium without inconvenience. 



The multitudes of Sphseriaceous and other minute fungi that 

 inhabit fallen leaves, dead branches, herb stems, bark and 

 decaying wood, need little or no preparation, except proper 

 trimming of the matrix, so that the specimens shall not be 

 too thick, and shall lie well on the herbarium sheet. In such 

 genera as Diatrype and Valsa, it may be well to trim away a 

 portion of the bark or the covering epidermis, in order to 

 reveal the concealed characters as much as possible. Vertical 

 sections of the larger species of Xylaria and Hypoxylon are 

 desirable. The general rule is to exhibit as many of the spe- 

 cific characters as possible, but, if only a single specimen of 

 a species is possessed, it is better to leave it entire. 



It is well to poison all specimens of fungi. The fleshy 

 species, and some of the hard Polypori, are especially liable 

 to be attacked by insects, and, unless poisoned, would be 

 speedily destroyed. They must also be kept in a dry place,, 

 or they will soon become moldy. 



In mounting specimens, I deem it better, for the sake of 

 uniformity, to use sheets of the ordinary size, even though it 

 is a little more expensive, giving a whole sheet to a species. 



