WILLIAM A. MURRILL 
3. He can have a compact and easily accessible synoptic collection 
representing the principal groups of plants, with a few common and 
characteristic species in each group, so that he and his friends or pupils 
may obtain some idea of the extent and variety of the plant kingdom. 
When one takes a tramp or travels, he sees plants, and often these 
are about the only living things he does see. Now, it would seem 
hardly fair to one's intelligence to disregard all this wealth of inter- 
esting material and be content to go through life both ignorant of it 
and uninterested in it. 
A speaking acquaintance with plants is obtained by observing 
their form, color, habits, and relationships, rather than by dissecting 
them. To begin with the microscope is to begin at the wrong end. 
Let us not be too proud to know the names of the common flowers 
that bloom at our feet. It is Nature's way with the child; and it is 
the logical method for the learner in any subject. 
Collecting the Fleshy Fungi 
The fleshy fungi, on account of their perishable nature, present 
many difficulties to the collector, and I have found it almost im- 
possible to secure good specimens without going after them myself. 
Whenever and wherever fleshy fungi are collected, the following ideal 
for the herbarium specimen should be kept in mind: 
1. Ample typical specimens in all stages, well dried and well 
preserved without pressing. Specimens in fluid have little value. 
2. Full descriptive field notes, especially of perishable characters. 
3. A colored sketch as accurate and detailed as possible and a 
photograph if practicable. Color notes with a color guide at hand 
may be used with the photograph. 
In collecting, it is possible to attempt the entire group of fungi but 
this is seldom successful. One gets accustomed to looking for certain 
forms in certain places and it is quite difficult to train the eye to several 
different sets of conditions. When one collects leaf-spot fungi, he 
goes more or less into the open and carries a plant-press or vasculum; 
but when one seeks fleshy fungi, he usually goes into the woods and 
carries a basket. From the standpoint of collecting pure and simple, 
the fungi may be divided into three classes: (i) those occurring on 
leaves, in which the host is pressed just as in flowering plants, (2) those 
occurring in various places, but requiring no special care in drying for 
preservation. This class includes the molds, many of the ascomycetes, 
