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first press them nicely; then give them a coat of wax, by ironing them on both sides with a hot iron over which a piece of beeswax has first been rubbed. Cover the specimens completely with wax, as this renders them quite pliable, and they are no longer brittle nor easily broken. Sprays of small leaves can be pressed entire.

To heighten the effect, use dry colors, rubbing them in, and selecting those corresponding with the color of the leaves when first gathered.

The colors must be put on before the coating of wax. Ferns should be gathered when nearly full grown, and, after they are pressed, painted light green with oil-colors; in that case the beeswax is not used. The oil in the paint, like the wax, makes the specimens more substantial, and they look quite fresh and fair.

Sometimes the late autumn frosts will bleach the ferns perfectly white; then are they even more delicate than before Nature changed their color. We have seen the