Notes on Collecting and Preserving Natural-History Objects
Science
Notes on Collecting and Preserving Natural-History Objects
Botanical specimens -- Collection and preservation; Zoological specimens -- Collection and preservation
In addition to these troubles among the red plants, there is an
opposite difficulty connected with several Rhodosperms which must be
pointed out; and that is owing to an absence or scarcity of gelatine
in their substance, which is in some of a stout, leathery, or horny
nature, and in others is due to a coating of carbonate of lime, which
completely envelops the vegetable structure. Among the former may be
mentioned the several species of Phyllophora, and several among the
genera Gigartina, Chondrus, and Sphærococcus; and in the latter, all
the calcareous Algæ, especially the well-known _Corallina officinalis_
and _Jania rubens_. All these, and several others of a membraneous
nature, among the olive as well as the red weeds, must be first mounted
in the ordinary manner, and when they are tolerably dry and begin to
shrink away from the paper, fill the mounting-dish with stale skimmed
milk; refloat the plants on their papers in the milk, and indeed go
through the same process as before with the sea-water, but be careful
to absorb all the milk from off the surface of the plants and the back
of the papers, and then, after the usual time for drying and pressing,
the most obstinate seaweed will be found adhering perfectly to the
paper, and will remain so permanently.
One more difficulty must be referred to for the benefit of young
beginners, who, in mounting some of the Laminaria and that peculiar
olive weed called _Himanthalia lorea_, may wish to preserve the
thick-branching roots and stems. First wash the roots as clean as
possible, and then, with a sharp penknife, make a clean cutting
horizontally of the whole root and some little distance up the thick
round stem; then, after having removed the cut portions, place the
inner surface of the root and stem on the paper, and the gelatinous
matter which oozes from the plant will cause the roots to adhere firmly
to the paper, and in drying, the usual olive tint of the various
species of Laminaria will be finely preserved. Some botanists employ
a mixture made of isinglass, dissolved in alcohol, to fix some of the
horny or robust species on paper; but if gum be made use of, it is
better to employ gum tragacanth than gum-arabic, because, in drying,
the former has none of that objectionable glare which is peculiar to
gum arabic.
As regards the best method of pressing seaweeds, I think I can hardly
do better than refer my readers to the figure of a Seaweed Press
(Fig. 45), which I invented for myself many years ago, in which I
have pressed many thousands of beautiful seaweeds. Almost any degree
of pressure can be obtained in it: first, by the thumb-screws on the
iron rods at each corner, and, finally, by means of the clamp which
is strapped on the top of the press. Any intelligent cabinet-maker or
ironmonger could provide such a press from an inspection of the figure;
the cost, of course, varying with the dimensions and the number of
boards.
[Illustration: Fig. 45. Seaweed Press.]
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