JST.21.] EARLY UNDERTAKINGS. 31 



" I wish we could find a place for my friend Gray 

 in the college. . . . He has no superior in botany, 

 considering his age, and any subject that he takes 

 up he handles in a masterly manner. . . . He is an 

 uncommonly fine fellow, and will make a great noise 

 in the scientific world one of these days. It is good 

 policy for the college to secure the services and affec- 

 tions of young men of talent, and let them grow up 

 with the institution. . . . He would do great credit 

 to the college ; and he will be continually publish- 

 ing. He has just prepared for publication in the 

 Annals of the Lyceum two capital botanical papers. 

 . . . Gray has a capital herbarium and collection 

 of minerals. He understands most of the branches 

 of natural history well, and in botany he has few 

 superiors." 



His friend, Mr. John H. Redfield, 1 recalling him in 

 those early days, writes : 



" He had worked with Dr. Torrey in his herbarium 

 in 1834 and in 1835, and in 1834 read his first paper 

 before the Lyceum, a monograph of the North Amer- 

 ican Rhynchosporae, which is still the best help we 

 have for the study of that genus. His bachelor 

 quarters were in the upper story of the building, and 

 there he diligently employed the hours not occupied 

 with other duties in studies and dissections, the re- 

 sults of which appeared in several elaborate contribu- 

 tions to the Annals. Dr. Gray's residence in the 

 building and his position as librarian brought him 

 into frequent and pleasant intercourse with the mem-' 

 bers of the Lyceum, and in this way began my own 

 acquaintance with him. The interest which he always 



1 John H. Redfield ; curator of the herbarium of the botanical de- 

 partment of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Science. 



