2 Botanical Reminiscences. [ ZOE 
ent as an invited guest of the Viceroy of Egypt at the opening 
of the Suez Canal. 
He took an early and active interest in the cause of education, — 
was prominent in the organization of the school department of Sac- 
ramento, and was elected in 1853 the first president of the local 
board of education. 
His connection with the California Academy of Sciences dates 
from the year 1875. and for the last five years he has been its Presi- 
dent, sacrificing to its interest and advancement all his time, atten- 
tion and energy. 
The scientific labors of Dr. Harkness have been directed to the 
lower Cryptogams—chiefly to fungi of the Pacific Coast. His 
writings on the subject are to be found in the Bulletins and Pro- 
ceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, Grevillea and — 
other journals. His valuable collection containing the types of 
many species, as well as the large additions made by purchase and 
exchange, aggregating 10,000 species, have been recently conveyed 
by gift to the California Academy of Sciences. ae 
Dr. Harkness was married in 1854 to Miss Amelia Griswold. 
Her death in the first year of their union, under particularly pain- 
ful circumstances, was a bitter grief, which time could only assuage 
but never remove. ; 
BOTANICAL REMINISCENCES. 
BY. Hy H: BEHR: 
‘ 
The nativity of some Californian plants is at present a matter of 
controversy. The birthplace of a single or a limited number of 
species may appear of such trivial importance as to be beneath 
serious notice, but as part of a totality of facts it is worthy even in 
isolation of our closest attention. We must consider it the duty of 
each generation to record as many of such facts as possible not only 
in regard to the geographical distribution of species, but to its 
historic existence in certain localities as well. 
The botanists of former generations have done but little iu this 
respect, being apparently under the impression that the distribu- 
tion of vegetable life on this planet was as unchangeable as they 
considered the species to be; and in consequence many of the pecu- 
liarities of plant distribution cannot now be explained at all and 
others form the subject of more or less heated controversies. 
