502 
COLLECTIONS AND RECOLLECTIONS. 
part of the trunk, as is often the case; as in some Malpighias, Cy- 
liometra, &c. then they should be preserved with a piece of the hark 
only adhering to them. It is also very important that ripe fruit 
should accompany the specimen. When the fruit is small, or thin, 
or capable of compression without injury, a second dried specimen 
may he added to that exhibiting the flowers; but when it is large and 
woody it must be preserved separately. Next to a judicious selec¬ 
tion of specimens, it is important to dry them in the best manner. 
For this purpose, various methods have been proposed : some of the 
simplest and most practicable may be mentioned. If you are in a 
country where there is much sun heat, it is an excellent plan to 
place the specimen between the leaves of a sheet of paper, and pour 
as much dry sand or earth over it as will press every part flat; leave 
it in the full sunshine and it will generally dry in a few hours. But 
in travelling, when conveniences of this kind cannot be had, and in 
wild uninhabited regions, it is better to have two or more pasteboards 
of the size of the paper in which your specimens are dried, and some 
stout cord or leather straps. Having gathered specimens until you 
are apprehensive of their shrivelling, fill each sheet of paper with as 
many as it will contain ; and having thus formed a good stout bun¬ 
dle, place it between the pasteboards, and compress it with your cord 
or straps. In the evening, or at the first convenient opportunity un¬ 
strap the package, take a fresh sheet of paper and make it very dry 
and hot before the fire : into this sheet so heated, transfer the speci¬ 
mens in the first of the papers in your package; then dry that sheet, 
and shift into it the specimens lying in the second sheet; and so go 
on, till all your specimens are shifted; then strap up the package 
anew, and repeat the operation at every convenient opportunity, till 
the plants are dry. They should then be transferred to fresh paper, 
tied up rather loosely, and laid by. Should the botanist be station¬ 
ary, he may dry his paper in the sun; if the number of specimens 
for preparation is inconsiderable, put them between cushions, in a press 
resembling a napkin press, laying it in the sun, or before a hot fire. 
It is extremely important that specimens should be dried quickly, 
otherwise they are apt to become mouldy and rotten, or black, and 
to fall in pieces. Notwithstanding all the precautions that can be 
taken, some plants, such as Orchidece, will fall in pieces in drying : 
when this is the case, the fragments are to be carefully preserved, in 
order to be put together w T hen the specimen is finally glued down. 
In many cases, particularly those of Coni ferae, Ericee, &c. the leaves 
may be prevented falling oil by plunging the specimen, when newly 
gathered, for a minute into boiling water. 'Thu great object in dry- 
