43 



Mill, received from Miss Taylor through the Director of the Kew 

 Gardens, and the kindness of Dr. Grav;4:he collections of the late Dr. 

 Charles Pickering made in his joiirneyings through oriental regions 

 in 1844 ^^d 1845; Syrian and Algerian plants from Dr. Geo, E. 

 Post, of Beirut; Floridan plants from Dr. Garber; Mexican plants 

 collected by Parry and Palmer; and a set of the mosses and hepaticae 

 of North America, collected and named by the late Coe F. Austin. 



But the most important accession to the Academy's Herbarium is 

 yet to be mentioned. After the death of Dr. Charles W. Short, of 

 Louisville, Ky., in 1863, the splendid collection of American and ex- 

 otic plants which he had accumulated and arranged in sumptuous 

 manner, became the property of the Academy, on condition that it 

 should be kept distinct and apart, and open to the inspection of 

 botanists, under the name of the '* Short Herbarium,'* For this, the 

 Aademy was indebted to the strenuous exertions of Dr. Gray in its 

 behalf, and to the liberality of Dr. Short^s family. The plants of 

 this collection are uncommonly choice specimens, from all the active 

 collectors up to 1863, and are laid in sheets of extra size, arranged in 

 325 book-form cases, of which the North American species occupy 

 261, and the exotic species 64. Even without the restriction under 

 which this collection was received, there would have been abundant 

 reason for keeping it apart, sacred to the memory of the accomplished 

 botanist who formed it, and to whom Dr. Gray dedicated the rarest 

 and one of the most beautiful of North American genera.* 



The work of arranging the earlier collections of the Academy, 

 was mainly accomplished by Nuttall and Pickering, followed later 

 by Goddard, Bridges, Zantzinger, Durand, Burk, Meehan, Redfield 

 and Scribner. Until the removal to the new building, in 1876, the 

 arrangement had been after the Linnaean system, in large cumber- 

 some port-folios, in a narrow, dark and inconvenient halL The re- 

 moval gave opportunity for entirely new arrangement, more in ac- 

 cordance with the progress of the science, on enclosed shelves aftcr 

 themost approved modern methods, and in well-h'ghted apartments 

 convenient for reference and study. The work of mounting the 

 plants upon standard paper has been begun. 



In 1854, the lamented Elias Durand began the work of formmg 

 a special North American Herbarium from the stores of the Academy, 

 contributing largely from his private collection, of species collected 

 bv Lindheimer, Fendler, Wright and others. In this labor he was 

 occupied for four years. Since his death the work of perfectmg this 

 department has been continued, and nearly all of the collections 

 made in our newer territories by Parry, Lemmon, Palmer, Kellogg, 

 Ward, Rothrock and others have been contributed at various times 

 by Gray, Canby, Parker, Meehan, Rothrock, Martindale and Red- 

 field. This collection and the ''Short Herbarium" occupy the upper 

 of the two rooms devoted to Botany, while the lower room contains 

 the General Herbarium, and a large case devoted to the reception of 

 fruits, seed-vessels and other vegetable productions. 



*For a tribute to the botanical labors of Dr. Short, and some further account of 

 his herbarium, see Dr. Gray's obituary notice in the Ame>\ fount, Sci. 2d series, Vol. 

 XXX vi., p. 130, Nov, 1863. 



