332 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1883. 



of these are new to the collection, adding 12 genera not before 

 represented. The North American and Mexican species received 

 were 1438 ; from the West Indies and South America were received 

 233 ; and from the Old World 1191. Referring to the appended 

 list of donations for details, we may here call attention to the 

 large and valuable additions contributed by Dr. Gray, of the 

 Cambridge Herbarium, representing the floras of ever^- quarter of 

 the globe ; a small collection from Australia, presented by Baron 

 von Miiller, through Mr. Meehan — nearly all of its species new to 

 us; a collection of about 70 species of interesting Patagonian 

 plants, made b}' Mr. William Bell, of the Transit of Venus expe- 

 dition, and presented b^^ him through Mr. Charles E. Smith; 

 upwards of 400 species of plants from various regions, presented 

 by Mr. Canby; and 51 species of Scandinavian Lichens, mostly 

 new to the collection, presented by Dr. J. If. Eckfeldt. 



These have all been poisoned, catalogued, placed in papers and 

 distributed in their proper places in the Herbarium. This neces- 

 sary work has left little time to devote to the improvement of the 

 condition of the Herbarium generally, 3' et some progress has been 

 made in that respect. Provisional lists of species have been con- 

 tinued as far as the order Borraginaceae in the general Herbarium. 

 The Endogens have been re-arranged to conform to the order 

 adopted by Bentham and Hooker in the concluding part of their 

 " Genera Plantarum," that vast monument of careful, patient, 

 -analytic work. And some small progress has been made in the 

 much needed task of mounting the specimens of the North 

 American Herbarium. 



Heretofore the Academy's collection of plants has received the 

 benefit of a large amount of faithful and intelligent labor from its 

 late Curator-in-charge, Mr. Charles F. Parker, but his disability 

 during the earl}- part of the 3'ear, folloAved by his death on the 

 1th September, 1883, has deprived ns of his services ; and now the 

 Conservator realizes, more than ever before, how much we have 

 owed to Mr. Parker's diligent zeal and skilful hands. In his 

 absence we have been indebted to the aid of Messrs. Burk, Meehan, 

 Scribner and Brinton, who have each rendered efficient service. 

 Mr. Scribner, though absent several months on exjilorations in 

 Montana for the Northern Transcontinental Survey, has continued 

 liis critical work upon the grasses of our collection, and has made 

 :some progress in the work of mounting them. 



