444 



The Museum Gazette 



PRESERVATION OF FUNGI. 



The large woody Fomes and the smaller leathery Poly- 

 stictus, with the resupinate Poriae and nearly all the Thele- 

 phorei, require only to be dried in the air (in some cases 

 under pressure to keep them flat) and in this condition they 

 do not lose much either in colour or form. These are, con- 

 sequently, the most commonly selected species which are 

 collected by travellers in foreign countries, whilst the smaller 

 or more fragile are neglected. 



The whole of the Gastromycetes, excepting the Phalloidei, 

 require little or no preparation. They only need to be 

 collected when mature, and dried in the air. The same 

 may be said of the Myxomycetes, which only require to be 

 placed in small pill-boxes and secured by pins or otherwise, 

 as insects are secured, so as to prevent injury in transit. In 

 no case should more than one species be placed in a single 

 box, or the spores will be transferred and confusion result. 



With the soft and fleshy Agarics, the only method which 

 we are prepared to recommend is to make a sketch or drawing 

 with the form, size and colour as in life. It is not absolutely 

 essential that they should be coloured, although that is best,' 

 but the colours should always be stated explicitly upon the 

 drawings. To assist those who are not facile with the pencil, 

 it is recommended that the specimen collected should be 

 divided longitudinally through the cap, and down the centre 

 of the stem. When this is done, one half should be laid on 

 a sheet of white paper, with the cut surface downwards and 

 the outline traced carefully upon the paper with a sharp 

 pointed pencil. On removing the specimen there will be left 

 upon the paper an outline of the form of the Agaric, natural 

 size. This may be completed by hand, drawing in the line 

 marking the margin of the pileus, indications of scales (if any 

 exist), the character of the ring (if present), and the scales, 

 lines, or markings of the stem. Another copy of the section 



