other slime-moulds of all the world, taken all
together, affect in any slightest measure the hap or fortune of man or
nation. And yet, if in the economic relations of things, man's
intellectual life is to be considered, then surely come the uncertain
myxos, with their fascinating problems proffered still in forms of
unapproachable delicacy and beauty, not without inspiration.

COLLECTION AND CARE OF SLIME-MOULD MATERIAL

On this subject a word may here be appropriate. As just now intimated,
specimens may be taken at the appropriate season in almost any or every
locality. Beginning with the latter part of May or first of June, in the
Northern states, plasmodia are to be found everywhere on piles of
organic refuse: in the woods, especially about fallen and rotting logs,
undisturbed piles of leaves, beds of moss, stumps, by the seeping edge
of melting snow on mountain sides, by sedgy drain or swamp, nor less in
the open field where piles of straw or herbaceous matter of any sort
sinks in undisturbed decay. Within fifty years tree-planting in all the
prairie states has greatly extended the range of many more definitely
woodland species, so that species of _Stemonitis_, for instance, are
common in the groves on farms far into Nebraska and Dakota. In any
locality the plasmodia pass rapidly to fruit, but not infrequently a
plasmodium in June will be succeeded in the same place by others of the
same species, on and on, until the cold of approaching winter checks all
vital phenomena. The process of fruiting should be watched as far as
possible, and for herbarium material, allowed to pass to perfection in
the field.

Specimens collected should be placed immediately in boxes in such a way
as to suffer no injury in transport; beautiful material is often ruined
by lack of care on the part of the collector. Once at the herbarium,
specimens may be mounted by gluing the supporting material to the bottom
of a small box. Boxes of uniform size and depth may be secured for the
purpose. Some collectors prefer to fasten the specimen to a piece of
stiff paper, of a size to be pressed into the box snugly, but which may
be removed at pleasure. Every pains must in any case be taken to exclude
insects. Against such depredators occasional baking of the boxes on the
steam radiator in winter is found to be an efficient remedy.

For simple microscopic examination it will be found convenient to first
wet the material with alcohol on the slide, t