OF THE MARINE ALG^E. 
91 
before us it leads him to sacrifice the true relation of the- 
different parts to the prettiness and neatness of the prepa- 
ration, to force branches into unnatural positions because 
they appear to him to look better so, and generally to 
distort the whole plant. All this may possibly make a 
pretty object for the herbarium, but it alters its whole 
character and destroys its value in the eyes of the real 
botanist. 
We will imagine the reader to have received a packet of 
dried Algs3 from a friend at the seaside. The first thing 
to be done with each of the specimens is to immerse it in 
clean soft water, and let it remain there until it has become 
sufficiently flexible to allow of its being lifted without 
injury from the paper to which it was fixed. The move- 
ment may be aided by inserting a blunt knitting-needle 
between the paper and the plant, so as to raise it gradually 
from its bed. Let this be done very slowly and carefully, 
as too much haste is almost certain to tear the specimen 
and entangle the filaments. As soon as the plant floats 
freely in the water, it must be rubbed and kneaded between 
the fingers (roughly or lightly, for a longer or a shorter 
period, according to the degree of coarseness and general 
consistency of the specimen) until the different parts have 
ceased to adhere together. When this is effected, the 
needle is again brought into use (the plant still remaining 
in the water), and is slowly drawn, beginning at the root 
end, through first the upper, then the middle, and lastly the 
lower stratum of stems and branches. In this way knots 
and entanglements are got rid of; and it enables the opera- 
tor to ascertain whether he is dealing with a single plant or 
a whole colony — a circumstance of some importance, as the 
crowding together of numerous plants makes it very diffi- 
cult to recognise the true character of the species. 
As soon as order is introduced among the tangled plants, 
the whole mass should be divided into portions, each off 
such a size as is likely to make a good preparation. And 
here let me caution the student to choose for preservation. 
