126 OF THE FUNGI. 



for at least twelve hours before being operated on. The 

 work itself is rendered much easier, and there is less chance 

 of the delicate parts being mangled. 



Small coriaceous. Fungi (the Polypori, Thelephorse, &c.) 

 must not be weighted too severely. There are some kinds 

 of Fungi, which are as hard as wood; from such thin 

 sections may be taken in various directions, and put away 

 at once. Several species belonging to the genera Peziza, 

 Hirneola, &c , are of a totally different consistency, being 

 strictly gelatinous. These will partially recover their 

 original form and appearance on being moistened, long ] 

 after they have been deposited in the herbarium. 



As a final process, subsequent to the pressure and dry- 

 ing, every portion of the Fungi — of the leathery and fleshy 

 kinds, I mean — must be impregnated with corrosive subli- 

 mate, to save them from the attacks of insects. But with 

 regard to this I will speak more freely when treating of the 

 herbarium, and the best method of preserving its contents 

 uninjured. 



However well prepared, dried Fungi, especially the 

 pileate group, are very difficult of determination. If, 

 therefore, from want of time or leisure, the student is 

 unable to submit his freshly gathered examples to a rigid 

 examination, he should at least assist his memory by 

 making a note of such characteristics as come under his 

 eye before the plants are dried. The main points to observe 

 are these : the colour of the stem and of the upper surface 

 of the pileus ; consistency of the fleshy substance, whether 

 hard and brittle, tough and gelatinous, soft and spongy, &c. ; 

 the odour emitted, of garlic, of violet, of putrid flesh, &c. ; 

 the presence or absence of a milky fluid when fragments 

 are broken off; and, lastly, the changes of colour, which 

 take place when the plant is freshly cut. For a more 

 scientific diagnosis it is necessary to ascertain, what relation 

 the reproductive parts hold to the general structure of the 

 organism ; whether, for instance, the spores are imbedded in 

 lamellae (as with the Agarics), are borne in tubes on the lower 



