10
THE MYCETOZOA.
This was increased when, some years later, Prof. I. Bayley
Balfour lent him for examination the valuable collection he
had acquired while working under De Bary at Strasburg, which
consisted to a large extent of portions of Rostafinski's types.
Permanent mountings and drawings were made of all the more
striking specimens and served as a priceless standard for reference.
Meanwhile, microscopic work was backed by observations
made in the field at all times of the year. A store of information
v as collected on the changes induced in maturing sporangia by
differences of heat and cold or of drought and moisture, in
this way it was found that many curious forms which had
been considered distinct species were in reality well-known
species altered by weather conditions
It was in 1891, while looking through the collections in
the British Museum, that my father was asked by Mr. Carruthers,
the head of the Botanical Department, to prepare a Descriptive
Catalogue of the Mycetozoa7 in their herbarium. To fit himself
more thoroughly for this task, he visited Strasburg, in order
that he might see De Bary's collection, and stayed at Kew
to examine Berkeley's herbarium preserved there. The
Mycetozoa belonging to the Paris Museum and those of Mr.
Massee's collection were courteously lent to him for examination.
For years, the circle of friendly correspondents at home and
abroad with whom specimens were exchanged and discussed
was gradually enlarging, and invaluable help and experience
was obtained in this way. At every stage in the preparation of
the Catalogue, my father received assistance from the officials of
the British Museum. Mr. Carruthers himself undertook to trace
the history of the literature of the species and to adjust the
nomenclature that it might accord with the rules then in force.
ft was my privilege to companionate and help my father
in his work, including the preparation of the plates. Those
in the first edition of the Catalogue, which appeared in 1894,
are photographic reproductions in black and white of our coloured
drawings. Better results were obtained in the second edition,
which appeared eighteen years later. For a large proportion of
the drawings in this edition, the three-colour process of repro-
duction has been employed.
7 A Monograph of the Mycetozoa ; being a Descriptive Catalogue of the Species in the Her-
barium of the British Museum (1894).