NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 287 



depredations and their extent. It is to be hoped that in a short 

 time the Academy will feel the importance of appointing a paid 

 curator and assistants, whose duty it shall be as early as possible, 

 to put the Museum in complete order of arrangement, to number 

 all its specimens, and prepare a cat alogue of the same. 

 Respectfully submitted by 



Joseph Leidy, 

 Chairman of Curators. 



REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL COMMITTEE. 



To the President and Members of the Academy: 



The Committee on Botany respectfully report, that during the 

 year good collections of plants have been contributed b} r Dr. 

 Gibbons from California, T. Meehan from Colorado and Western 

 Kansas, Prof. Davidson from California, Dr. Leidy from the Uinta 

 Mountains, and Professor Asa Gray, a large package chiefly of 

 tropical rubiaceas. The American plants have added largely to 

 the value of the herbarium, in regard to botanical geography, and 

 by furnishing specimens in varying conditions of growth, besides 

 in a few cases adding to the number of species in the already 

 pretty full collection. 



The Committee are desirous of bringing the general herbarium 

 nearer completeness. In order the better to ascertain its defici- 

 encies, the work of preparing a catalogue of species has been com- 

 menced. Rough lists have been prepared of the first twenty-three 

 volumes, serving as indices to each volume temporarily; and it is 

 hoped that the whole one hundred and twenty-seven volumes will 

 be thus far finished by the next year. 



Thomas Meehan, for the Committee. 



RECORDING SECRETARY'S REPORT. 



The Recording Secretary respectfully reports that, during the 

 year ending November 30th, 1812, there have been elected thirty- 

 nine members and four correspondents. 



The announcement has been made of the death of the following 

 members and correspondents: 



Fourteen members, namely: Wm. W. Gerhard, M.D., Dr. Win. 

 Stimpson, John Farnum, Maj. Sydney S. Lyon, John G. Moore, T. 



