NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 291 



minerals from Lancaster Co., and 8 specimens were presented by J. D. Ser- 

 geant, W. S. Vaux and J. C. Trautwine. There were also obtained 12 valu- 

 able minerals in exchange. 



Botany. The magnificent herbarium of the late Professor Short, of Louis- 

 ville, Ken., presented by his family, consists of almost 300 folio volumes, 

 containing about 6000 species of American plants, and between 3000 and 4000 

 species of European plants, besides a number of unopened packages of tropical 

 American plants. The collection of marine algae of the late Samuel Ash- 

 mead, a legacy to the Academy, is contained in 12 thick quarto volumes. Be- 

 sides these there are numerous microscopic specimens mounted in the usual 

 manner on glass slides. A collection of marine and fresh water algae, com- 

 prising about 700 species, a contribution by Leo Lesquereux to the Central 

 Sanitary Fair, has been purchased by the Curators, according to a resolution of 

 the Academy, of Dec. 6, 1864. Two large fungi were presented by A. Cun- 

 ningham and. Violetta W. Miller. 



Miscellaneous. An antique stone hammer from the copper mines of Lake 

 Superior was presented by B. A. Hoopes ; an Apache Indian skull from Texas 

 by Dr. E. H. Abadie ; 6 worked flints from Abbeville, France, by F. Peale ; 

 and a plaster cast of the Neanderthal skull by E. D. Cope. 



Respectfully submitted by JOSEPH LEIDY, 



Chairman of the Curators. 



REPORT OF THE BOTANICAL COMMITTEE, 



For 1864. 



To the Curators of the Academy of Natural Sciences : 



Gentlemen: Since my last report, dated December 17th, 1857, our Botanical 

 Department has been considerably enriched. 



First, by a full set of specimens from the collections made on the Colorado 

 Mountains by Dr. C. C. Parry, Messrs. Elihu Hall, Harbour and Howard. 



Secondly, by the magnificent herbarium of the late Prof. Charles Wm. Short 

 of Louisvillp, presented to our Academy by his family, on the liberal recom- 

 mendation of Prof. Asa Gray. 



Thirdly, by the handsome collection of Marine Algae, bequeathed to this in- 

 stitution by our late fellow-member, Mr. Samuel Ashmead. 



Fourthly, by another most valuable collection of Algae, once the property of 

 Mr. Leo Lesquereux, of Columbus, Ohio, presented by him, as his contribution, 

 to the Philadelphia Sanitary Commission, and just purchased by the Curators. 



To the above I will add the Texas collections of Dr. Lincecum and Mr. Buck- 

 ley ; the herbarium of Dr. G. Watson, and several hundred plants from Wis- 

 consin and Iowa received from Mr. T. J. Hale, in exchange. 



The greatest part of the Colorado specimens were either new to our North 

 American herbarium, or duplicates (handsomer and more complete) of those 

 collected by Mr. Nuttall, in his rapid travels over the Rocky Mountains. 



The Short Herbarium is, indeed, the greatest acquisition ever made by our 

 Botanical Department, and will constitute two distinct large herbaria : one of 

 tropical, the other of extra tropical plants. The latter, already arranged by 

 Prof. Short himself, on the same Linnaeo-natural plan as our general herba- 

 rium, contains, as far as I can judge, about 4000 European and between 6 

 and 7000 North American species. Among the latter are many new plants to 

 our Botanical Department, derived principally from the last collections of Mr. 

 Charles Wright in New Mexico, Sonora and Cohahuila; from the Texano- 

 Mexican herbarium of Berlandier ; from the Collection of Ervendberg in the 

 province of Huasteca, and other Mexican plants from the collection of Drs. 

 Gregg and Coulter, besides a small number from the North American British 

 provinces. 



1864.] 



