STERNS, GRASSES, ETC., FOR " FITTING UP." 243 



in boxes witli notliing to break tbe blank of white paper whicli 

 backed tbem up. N'owadays we bave arrived at snob a pitch 

 of decorative art in taxidermy, as in all things, that this stiffness 

 of outline does not suffice ; accordingly, we break our background 

 by flowing lines of beauty, produced by the graceful aids of dried 

 ferns and grasses, twigs of trees, &c. 



Many ferns are not suitable for decoration ; for instance, the 

 male fern {Filix-mas) is of too tender a texture to stand upright 

 when weighted with colour. The very best fern is the common 

 brake {Pteris aquilina), as also the common polypody {Poly- 

 podium vulgare). The fronds of the brake should be gathered 

 in August or September, when they are fully matured and hard,, 

 and also when the weather, is hot and dry. If gathered in 

 continuous wet weather, hardly any amount of drying will 

 prevent the fronds from ultimately becoming mouldy, when no 

 amount of after-drying prevents them going brittle and dropping 

 to pieces. Ferns which have lost their green colouring matter, 

 and are going red and yellow, dry well, and retain their colours 

 nicely if quickly dried. 



Foreign ferns, such as the various adiantums, the " gold " and 

 "silver" ferns, and many others, dry well, and retain their 

 colour if care be used ; nothing suits foreign birds better as a 

 background than the ferns and grasses of the various countries 

 they inhabit. 



Paper used in the drying of botanical specimens is sold, but 

 being too expensive for this particular purpose, a supply of large 

 sheets of common grey paper used by ironmongers or grocers, or 

 even brown paper, will suffice — the ferns should, directly thejr 

 are gathered, be laid out straight on a board, or on a floor, and 

 covered with paper, then more ferns, again a layer of paper, and 

 so on — a board weighted with bricks should be placed over all, 

 and suffered to remain for a few days ; the ferns are then to be 

 turned, the paper dried, and the process repeated. "When 

 thoroughly dry, the ferns may be coloured with oil paint thinned 

 with turps and varnish, sufficient to give lustre without shininess.. 

 Here and there break the green colour with white, red, blue, and 

 yellow, in a manner which will occur to anyone having artistic 

 ability. Fems treated in this manner soon dry, and retain their 

 coloui' for an indefinite period, the only thing to be said 



