Figure 222.—Sarcoscypha floccosa (natural size). Copyright.
CHAPTER XVII.
COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF THE FLESHY FUNGI.
In the collection of the higher fungi it is of the utmost importance that certain precautions be employed in obtaining all parts of the plant, and furthermore that care be exercised in handling, in order not to remove or efface delicate characters. Not only is it important for the beginner, but in many instances an "expert" may not be able to determine a specimen which may have lost what undoubtedly seem, to some, trivial marks. The suggestions given here should enable one to collect specimens in such a way as to protect these characters while fresh, to make notes of the important evanescent characters and to dry and preserve them properly for future study. For collecting a number of specimens under a variety of conditions the following list of "apparatus" is recommended:
One or two oblong or rectangular hand baskets, capacity from 8–12 quarts.
Or a rectangular zinc case with a closely fitting top (not the ordinary botanical collecting case).
Half a dozen or so tall pasteboard boxes, or tins, 3 × 3, or 4 × 4, × 5 inches deep, to hold certain species in an upright position.
A quantity of tissue paper cut 8 × 10 or 6 × 8 inches.