164 
OF THE FERNS AND FLOWERING PLANTS. 
better not take place at all, if it be possible to do with- 
out it. 
Should the specimen be too large to be contained within 
the compass of a sheet of paper, the stem must be cut 
half through at a convenient spot, and bent over, but at a 
certain angle, so that as little as possible of the upper layer 
shall press on the lower. Where the specimen is so long, 
that it is impossible to bend it so as to prevent its project- 
ing beyond the paper, there is no help for it but to divide 
it into short lengths, care being taken to mark each part, 
so that their true connection may be seen at once. This 
can be easily managed by simply varying the shape of the 
cut : let the two corresponding sections be rounded, notched, 
truncated, &c., and no mistake can arise. But I repeat, let 
all amputation be avoided as long as possible. 
As far as circumstances will permit, the different mem- 
bers of the specimen, I mean the leaves, stem, flowers, 
and so on, must not be permitted to lie directly on each 
other ; for, if they do, they are almost certain to cling to- 
gether and to become discoloured. Where it is impossible 
to avoid this, pieces of paper must be interposed ; any 
kind of paper will suffice for the leaves, stalks, and less 
delicate parts, but for the petals only tissue, or thin note 
paper, should be used : indeed, the employment of the latter 
during the whole course of preparation, in addition to the re- 
gular drying material, tends greatly to preserve their colour. 
Care must be taken, when arranging the order of the 
specimens one over the other, not to lay a thick woody 
plant next in succession to a thin slender specimen, as the 
latter will bear the impress of its stouter neighbour much 
to its detriment. Should it be found impossible to escape 
«uch an arrangement, the only remedy is to lay, not a single 
packet of paper as usual, but several packets between the 
two specimens — to heap them up, in fact, until the hand, 
when passed roughly over, fails to detect the protuberant 
stem beneath. 
The young botanist, in the course of his investigations, 
