146 Directions for preserving Sea Plants. 



continue attached, and for the removal of these a pair of dissecting 

 forceps, and a camel hair pencil of middle size, will be found very 

 convenient. These, indeed, are almost indispensable, and will be found 

 useful on more occasions than can here be specified. A silver probe, 

 with a blunt and a sharp end, is the most convenient instrument for 

 spreading out, and separating branches from each other, but any thing 

 with a rigid point, such as a large needle, or the handle of the camel- 

 hair pencil sharpened, will answer. A large white dinner-dish serves 

 perfectly well for spreading the specimens in, and all that is farther 

 necessary is a quantity of drying papers, and some sheets of blotting- 

 paper, with three or four flat pieces of deal-board. Nothing answers 

 better for drying than old newspapers, each divided into eight parts, 

 but it is necessary to have a large supply of these. 



The beautiful and common Plocamium coccineum is one of the 

 most easily preserved species, and may be taken as an example of the 

 mode of proceeding with most of the others. The steps to be pur- 

 sued are as follows, — 



1. The specimen is to be perfectly well cleaned. 



2. A dinner-dish to be filled about two-thirds with clean fresh 

 water. 



3. The paper on which the specimen is to be spread, to be immersed 

 in the water in the dish. 



4. The specimen to be then placed on the paper, and spread out 

 by means of the probe and camel-hair pencil. 



5. The paper with the specimen on it to be then slowly withdrawn 

 from the dish, sliding it over its edge. 



6. The paper with the specimen adhering to it, to be held up by 

 one corner for a minute or two, to drain off" the water. 



7. To be then laid on a paper, or cloth, upon a table, and the super- 

 fluous water still remaining to be removed by repeated pressure of 

 blotting-paper upon the specimen, beginning this operation at the 

 edges, and gradually encroaching towards the centre till the whole 

 can be pressed upon without danger of any part adhering to the blot- 

 ting-paper, which probably would be the case, were the latter applied 

 at once to the whole specimen. 



8. The specimen then to be laid on a couple of drying papers placed 

 on the carpet or a table ; two more papers to be laid over it, and then 

 the piece of board, on which latter a few books are to be put, to give 

 the necessary pressure. 



9. These papers to be changed every half hour or oftener, till the 

 specimen is sufficiently dry. (A number of specimens with drying 

 papers interposed, may be pressed at once under the same board.) 



4 



