336 
ON  PHARMACEUTICAL  HERBARIA. 
economic  plants  occurring  in  their  respective  districts.  In  this 
way  our  pharmaceutical  herbariums  might  be  enriched  with  such 
tropical  plants  as  the  Clove,  Cinnamon,  Allspice,  Cassia  Fistula, 
Pareira  Brava,  Quassia,  etc. 
One  of  the  more  complete  herbaria  of  the  character  I  have 
attempted  to  describe,  ought  to  be  preserved  at  Bloomsbury 
Square,  and  others  in  the  rooms  of  the  Branch  Societies  at 
Edinburgh,  Liverpool,  etc. ;  but  in  addition  I  would  suggest  to 
those  who  feel  or  wish  to  feel  interested  in  botany,  to  commence 
themselves  the  formation  of  an  herbarium  of  medicinal  plants, 
taking  as  a  nucleus  those  commonest  plants  of  our  gardens, 
fields,  hedge-rows  and  commons,  the  Cherry-Laurel,  Lavender, 
Dandelion,  Bittersweet,  Elder,  Foxglove,  etc. 
It  is  unnecessary  here  to  describe  the  simple  operation  of 
preparing  botanical  specimens  (an  operation  for  which  a 
pharmaceutist  has  several  facilities) ;  but  a  few  words  may 
be  said  on  the  best  method  of  mounting  them  so  as  to  render 
them  at  once  convenient  for  reference,  and  as  little  liable  as 
possible  to  sustain  injury  from  handling  and  from  the  depreda- 
tion of  insects.  In  the  first  place  it  should  be  a  rule  that  no 
specimen  should  be  mounted  unless  previously  brushed  over  with 
an  alcoholic  solution  of  Corrosive  Sublimate,  a  precaution 
against  the  ravages  of  a  certain  mischievous  little  beetle,  ex- 
tremely ready  to  prey  on  dried  leaves.  Specimens  having  been 
subjected  to  this  operation,  should  be  re-dried  with  slight  pres- 
sure and  are  then  ready  to  be  fastened  to  the  paper  on  which 
they  are  to  be  ultimately  preserved.  This  may  be  done  simply 
with  short,  narrow  strips  of  paper,  gummed  or  glued  so  as  to 
hold  down  the  stems  and  more  prominent  parts.  Specimens  thus 
fastened  can  be  readily  removed,  when  it  is  desirable  to  replace 
them  by  better ;  but  for  an  herbarium  that  is  to  be  frequently 
handled  (and  by  others  than  its  owner)  it  is  preferable  to  resort 
to  a  method  of  attaching  specimens  still  more  secure,  and  this 
is  conveniently  effected  by  the  use  of  common  glue  brushed 
while  hot  over  at  least  a  portion  of  the  specimen.  Strips  of 
gummed  paper  may  be  conveniently  used  in  addition  for  the 
better  securing  of  woody  stems,  roots,  bulbs,  and  such  like. 
The  paper  on  which  specimens  are  mounted  should  be  good  and 
