1886.] NATURAL SCIENCES Of PHILADEtrHtA. 83 



The oflficers elected for the ensuing year are : 



Director, . . . W. S, W. Ruschenberger, M. D. 



Vice-Director^ . . Thomas Meehan. 



Recorder, . . . Chas. Schaffer, M. D. 



Treasurer, . . . Isaac C. Martindale. 



Conservator, . . . John H. Redfield. 



Respectfully submitted, 



Thomas Meehan, 



Vice-Director. 



Conservator's Report for 1886. The Conservator of the Bo- 

 tanical Section reports that the donations to the Herbarium, 

 during the year just closed, consist of 2452 species of plants, of 

 which 2433 are of phanerogams and vascular cryptogams, and 19 

 of lichens. Of these, T26 species are new to the collection, and 

 among them are representatives of 40 new genera. Of the 2452 

 species, 847 are North American, 858 are from Tropical and South 

 America, and 747 are from the Old World. The total number of 

 species of phanerogams and vascular cryptogams now in the 

 Herbarium is estimated at 26,189. 



A list of the donations for the year is appended to this report. 

 Among them may be specified 232 species of North American 

 grasses from the U. S. Department of Agriculture at Washington, 

 embracing 73 new species. These, with a collection of 54 species, 

 made b}^ F. Tweedy in the Yellowstone Park, make our series of 

 N. American grasses unusuall}^ complete. From Dr. A Gray, of 

 the Harvard University Herbarium, we have received about 300 

 species from the Old and the New World, embracing many 

 novelties. Members of our Section have presented two fine 

 collections made by Pringle and by Palmer in the Mexican 

 province of Chihuahua, consisting of 710 species, of which 267 

 are new to us, and a very choice collection of South African 

 plants made b}- Miss M. E. Cummings, nearly one-half of which 

 were not in our Herbarium. Mr Aubrey H. Smith has presented 

 us 154 species which he collected in Colorado, New Mexico, and 

 California (see Additions to Museum). 



The work of mounting the specimens in the North American 

 Herbarium is still continued, and considerable progress has been 

 made during the past year with the assistance of Mr. Burk. 



