VOL. XIII, pp. 109-121 DECEMBER 30, 1899 



PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



THE BOTANICAL EXPLORATIONS 



OF 



THOMAS NUTTALL IN CALIFORNIA. 

 BY FREDERICK V. COVILLE. 



I was puzzled recently, in reading some references to Thomas 

 Nuttall's botanical work in California, at discrepancies in vari 

 ous statements regarding time and place, and this led to a 

 careful examination of the available records regarding his work 

 in that State. 



Professor W. H. Brewer,* to whom one naturally turns for 

 information about botanical explorations in California, states 

 that Nuttall's collections there were made " during a part of the 

 year 1835." This there was reason to doubt, and looking 

 further I found that Professor Brewer's authority for the state 

 ment was probably Elias Durand's " Biographical notice of the 

 late Thomas Nuttall."t 



In this article Durand states, on page 311 : 



"There [at the Sandwich Islands] he remained a couple of months 

 [after January 5, 1835], visiting the different islands of that happy group 

 and collecting plants and sea-shells; thence, separating from his com 

 panion, Mr. [John K.] Townsend, he took passage on board a vessel sail 

 ing for the coast of California, where he landed early in the spring, to 

 enjoy new emotions of pleasure. All again was new to him! He re 

 mained in California a great part of the spring and summer, actively 

 engaged in making collections, and returned to the Sandwich Islands, 



*In Brewer & Watson, Bot. Cal., II, 555, 1880. 

 fProc. Am. Phil. Soc., VII, 297-315, 1861. 



25 BIOL. Soc. WASH., VOL. XIII, 1899 - (109) 



