4 
INTRODUCTION 
followed by a few days of sunshine, will bring ideal conditions for 
collecting Myxomycetes and many other fungi. One learns that 
while Lycogala is pink, it is in the free nuclear condition, and that 
Stemonitis is in that condition as long as it is white; that Volvox may 
be abundant at the bottom of a pond when there is scarcely any in 
suspension. The successful investigator learns how a flower bud 
should look, if it is to yield floral development, how the flower looks 
when the embryo sac is mature; and how it looks after fertilization. 
Such studies add immensely to the value of a preparation. A 
considerable part of a botanical education can be gained by collecting 
material, making and studying preparations, reading what is avail¬ 
able, and thinking. 
Finally, do not imagine that you must always make an elaborate 
permanent mount before you examine anything with the microscope. 
Look at living material whenever possible; make freehand sections or 
tease with needles, and thus make that preliminary survey which 
should always precede the study of permanent mounts. 
