itting them again to pressure for a few
hours merely to prevent their shrinking, there will be no fear of
their suffering from the attacks of insects.

"Many of the mushroom tribe are so soft and watery that it is very
difficult to make good specimens without a degree of labour which is
quite out of the question with travellers. By changing, however, the
papers in which they are dried two or three times the first day, if
practicable, useful specimens may be prepared, especially if a few
notes be made as to colour, etc. The more important notes are as to
the colour of the stem and pileus, together with any peculiarities of
the surface, _e.g._, whether it be dry, viscid, downy, scaly, etc.,
and whether the flesh of the pileus be thin or otherwise; as to the
stem, whether hollow or solid; as to the gills, whether they are
attached to the stem or free; and especially what is their colour and
that of the spores. It is not in general expedient to preserve
specimens in spirits, except others are dried by pressure, or copious
notes be made; except, indeed, in some fungi of a gelatinous nature,
which can scarcely be dried at all by pressure.

"The large woody fungi, the puff-balls, and a great number of those
which grow on wood, etc., are best preserved, after ascertaining that
they are dry and free from larvae, by simply wrapping them in paper or
placing them in chip-boxes, taking care that they are so closely
packed as not to rub. As in other tribes of plants, it is very
requisite to have specimens in different stages of growth, and notes
as to precise habitats are always interesting.

"The attention of the traveller can scarcely be directed to any more
interesting branch, or one more likely to produce novelty, than the
puff-ball tribe; and he is particularly requested to collect these in
every stage of growth, especially in the earliest, and, if possible,
to preserve some of the younger specimens in spirits. One or two
species are produced on ant-hills, the knowledge of the early state of
which is very desirable.

"The fungi which grow on leaves in tropical climates are scarcely less
abundant than in our own country, though belonging to a different
type. Many of these must constantly come under the eye of the
collector of phoenogams, and would be most acceptable to the
mycologist. But the attention of the collector should also be directed
to the lichen-like fungi, which are so abundant in some countries on
fallen sticks.