158 Rhodora [SEPTEMBER 
and as the introduction is of special interest, I venture to quote it in 
full. Mrs. Owen says, “ At Mr. Godfrey's request, I have with much 
pleasure prepared the following catalogue. It is far from complete, 
being based upon collections made over thirty years ago, when I 
had made no study of the grasses and sedges, and when I had no 
thoughts of publishing. Still, in this imperfect form it will be of use to 
botanists, and the number of plants rare in New England which it 
contains, shows what pleasing discoveries are probably still to be made 
by exhaustive explorations. 
“T hope to bring out, as soon as I have sufficient material, a more 
complete list to be published by itself, with such notes on the rarer 
plants as may be of interest. For this I ask the co-operation of all 
botanists, resident or visiting on the island, and I shall be extremely 
obliged for names and localities of additional species. To make the 
list more serviceable and authentic, it is desirable to have specimens 
of the new discoveries, for preservation in an herbarium of the island 
plants, which, if formed, will be freely accessible to botanists. 
“Information is particularly desired about Andromeda Mariana, 
Habenaria ciliaris, and the Tillaea, Calluna, Erica, Onosmodium, 
Mertensia, Ceratophyllum, Cypripedium, and Chara of the catalogue. 
Some of these are represented so far by one single plant; and of others 
reported by older botanists, no one now living knows the locality. 
“T am under obligations to several friends for help in this work, and 
must mention especially that I owe the list of algae to Mr. F. S. Collins, 
who drew it up from specimens principally collected by himself and 
Mr. L. L. Dame of Medford. 
“The few miscellaneous cryptogams with which the list closes 
appeal to friendly specialists for re-enforcements; without such aid 
they will have to go into the next edition as lonely as they are now. 
Maria L. Owen.” 
Then follows the Catalogue of Plants. They are listed in systematic 
order by their scientific names only, and without comments. There 
are just 500 species and varieties, and one form. This is certainly very 
creditable when we consider that the list was founded mainly on 
species collected before 1852 when Mrs. Owen was about twenty-five 
years old. It was the result chiefly of the enthusiastic study of plants 
in her younger days at a time when botanists and botanical centers 
where difficult species could be determined were fewer in number. 
