would appear as though the rocks there entirely hemmed in a deep valley separated from the river by a lofty ridge. Hence there is a magnificent view over the surrounding country.

At a quarter past ten I arrived at Pirna, a town busy with boat builders and coalbarges. I believed that now an hour would bring me to my destination, and when I thought that time had expired I began to look out for some signs of Dresden. At first there were none to be seen. Then came an immense number of beautiful villas, castles and palaces, the prettiest of which (Weinberg-belonging to the Queen Marie), was ornamented by coloured roofs (yellow, slate and green) and many pretty balconies. "Well," I thought, "here we are at the entrance to the city; but if it was the entrance, it was a terribly long one, for I went paddling on for miles, and yet no Dresden. More castles, but "No," I said to myself this time; "it is not castles that constitute your cities. Let me catch sight of a spire, or a steeple or dome, or let me see a few old houses, and I shall feel nearer to Dresden then than I do now, with all this brilliant show." By the way, just before Pirna, the mountains had receded, and the banks become comparatively low and flat, and one could see now a long way ahead, so at last I did catch a glimpse, through the trees of a spire, and then another, and then two more, and after that a dome. Then I knew that was my home for the night, and, paddling on with redoubled energy, I soon came in view of the large stone bridge.

On the Study of Plants.

CHAPTER III.-DRYING.

E take it that you have got a full box of well-selected plants safe at home, and that you have been careful not to give it too many shakes in the ramble.

It would be well to spread out some newspapers on the floor as well as one on the table you work at. In this way you can the better catch whatever soil or insects hold to the plant since picking them up. While out on your ramble be sure to clean the roots as well as you can in water, as it saves time in a great measure, and answers better than to do it at home. Besides, it preserves the plants longer in a fresh condition than to leave them helpless and dying for several hours. Gently take up your specimens, and lay the examples of one species by themselves on the floor. You can easily know the plants which need killing by their having fleshy (succulent) stems, leaves, or roots. These kinds you must put in hot water. If the root is fleshythe lesser celadine (Ranunculus ficaria) is an instance-put that part only in the water. But the stem is frequently also fleshy a little way up, so to that point you must place the plant in hot water to effectually kill it. Such plants as the yellow stonecrop (Sedum acre), wood-hyacinth (Scilla nutans), and the ramsons (Allium ursinum) need almost total immersion. A good towel to absorb the water attached to the plants after their baptism, and a little blotting-paper to take up the smaller drops of water are quite a necessity. A few minutes in hot water suffices in any case to kill a plant; and it will show your skill to lay out the plants as though they had not been in hot water Some collectors put these fleshy plants in a different press from their ordinary plants, and we would advise you to do the same if you can.

But we have not told you of the drying paper, you may well remind us. Our only fear is that this may be the stumblingblock in the pursuit of the study. Well, if it be so, our English boys are not to be beaten, nor are they afraid of such difficulties we spoke of in our first paper. Some people's idea of drying plants is to put them between leaves of a big book and leave them there-we won't say how long. But their disappointment must be great to find the specimens covered with mildew, the book in a fair way to destruction, and the plants but little drier than when first put in. This plan we know you will not adopt after being so careful to collect your specimens. Others, again, use blotting-paper, —a slight improvement, we admit, but is unworthy of mention to young people. Well, we would strongly advise you to procure the proper material for drying plants; and as we will not mention the names of makers or shops where you can get the paper, the editor will gladly give you on application the address of a

London firm from whom you can get their prices. But you may rest assured that it is cheaper than blotting-paper. Anyhow, we will suppose you have got the paper, and now proceed.

Divide the paper into two quantities, and set one part for immediate use, the other to take the place of the damp sheets which should be dried at the fire. Procure two strong boards, exactly the size of your drying paper. Put one board upon the table, and place at least three sheets of your paper on it. Take up one species of plant and lay them on the paper, and as near as possible arrange the leaves and flowering parts as hey grow on the plant. Let us caution you not to lay out your plants with all the parts flat, as some leaves when young are partially boat-shaped (i. e., the two sides of the mid rib almost close together), and these should be pressed together. It is, however, advisable to arrange one flower flat as though looked at from above; or detach a floret, if there be many, and do so with it. Now cover your specimens carefully with three other sheets, and pass your hand over the covered plants, just as you use blottingpaper. Take off for a moment to see if all be satisfactory. Thus do until all your specimens are put in. We have now a board at bottom, sheets of drying paper with specimens between, and the other board at the top. When all is trim, pass two straps round the bundle and pull carefully so as not to disarrange your pile. Don't press tighter than will just allow your plants to keep flat. At the next change of papers-and twice a day is enough you can easily put right leaves that are bent and other parts out of position. After three or four changes you may in most cases draw the straps tighter. Increase the pressure and replace dry papers until all the specimens are dried. Plants are usually said to be dried when they are not damp to the touch, and do not bend in any part when held up. Better leave them in the drying paper too long than too short a time. As time passes many advantages will occur to you; one is to put mill-boards at certain intervals in the pile, to prevent thick, clumsy plants making their impress too strongly on less tender plants. In the same sheet that you put the specimens, put also a slip of paper with the nature of the spot (ditch side, wood, or field, we mean) you got your plant in, the locality, the county, date of gathering, and your name; leave room also for the name of the plant. Make it a practice to write each of these particulars on the tickets, as accuracy in labelling and neatness in drying make a collection of plants worthy of being looked over.

These things only will make you a collector, not a botanist. Your standing as a botanist must rest on higher ground than this. A knowledge of structural botany, the comparison of the organs through the natural orders, a good acquaintance with systematic botany, and a decent knowledge of geographical distribution, all combined tend to make a botanist. However, years are yours to work in the ranks, and with perseverance and skill you may attain to a worthy position among botanical students.

PROM Sunday-school work to prison work is a great change, but before leaving Orebro we were invited by the chaplain of the state prison to pay a visit to that sad necessity-the gaol; we accordingly accompanied him thither and found him a very friendly Christian man. We had just got inside the prison, and the doors were bolted behind us, when this good chaplain, with keys in, hand turned round, extended his hand towards us, and grasping ours, very earnestly said, "I have much pleasure in welcoming you here." We started, looked round to see if there was a way of escape and began to feel nervous, and to wish that we were safe at the Old Bailey-on the other side of the way. Welcomed to prison ! No, no, that would not do, we did not think we had come to Sweden for that. It was all very nice to be welcomed to a Sunday school meeting, but to prison! oh, horrors! Why, we did not think any one was ever welcomed there, and to think that we should be the first, and had only been in the country a day or two. But stay, perhaps after all he did not mean exactly what he said; the welcome he did mean, that was earnest enough, but perhaps it was to Sweden and not to the gaol; so; thinking that his words might have this double signification, we struggled to conceal our feelings, gave ourselves up to his tender grasp, and submitted to be led over the prison. We visited several cells, each one occupied by a prisoner, either male or female; they were all engaged at the one employment of making lucifer matchboxes; one was at work folding the wood for the box, another pasting the blue paper round; one woman was folding the wood for the outside cover, and another was pasting the yellow paper round it which forms the label. Thus are the boxes made, which, when completed, are intended to hold the now famous "Orebro Tanstücker," which are a formidable rival to Bryant and May, as they are supposed to perform the same wonderfully striking feats that these patentees claim to have the sole right of doing with theirs. Our friend the chaplain conducted us all over the prison, not only into the various cells but also into the chapel, the parade ground, the black holes for the

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