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■; Lake Quinsigamond 'which is situated near Worcester is one of 

 the largest lakes in Massachusetts, and is about six miles long, 

 hardly exceeding one half mile in width, although in many places it 

 -^ I is from fifty to one hundred feet or more in depth. It runs in a 

 Jl^ northernly and southernly direction along the edge of one of the 

 *^ geological dividing lines of the State which separates the central 

 ■::;t;^ highlands from the less elevated areas of our seaboard. The imme- 

 diate surroundings of the lake consists geologically of sand and 

 — gravel and probably the greater part of the basin itself is made up of 

 vi this material, over which there is spread a considerable mass of 

 ^ decomposed matter the results of centuries of vegetable and animal 

 ~^ decay. 

 7^ While a considerable portion of the basin of the lake is too deep 

 to give rise to much vegetable life there are vast areas of shallow 

 .74- water which are especially adapted to a profusion of vegetable forms, 

 thus making it one of the best collecting grounds in Massachusetts. 

 ^ Our observations on the flora of Lake Quinsigamond have covered, 

 a period of some years. During the summer of 1890 and under the 

 auspices of the Worcester Natural History Society we gave the lake 

 a constant and careful study for about six months and the list pre- 

 ^1^ sented here is largely the result of this study. The list is we believe 

 ^~~ nearly complete so far as the Spermaphytes, Pteridophytes, Bryo- 

 ' phytes, and Characeae are concerned, and with the exception of the 

 Desmids of which only 150 species and varieties are given, and the 

 — Diatoms, which are not listed at all, the Algae are tolerably well 

 represented. 



The Bacteria and Saprolegnieae have not been listed, and only 

 those Desmids are recorded which were casually observed in con- 

 nection with other plant material under observation. A thorough 

 C.;_ study of the Desmids and Diatoms of Lake Quinsigamond would 

 - undoubtedly reveal many new species, or at least many new forms, 

 which have not heretofore been observed in North America, as is 

 <:. evident from the researches of Dr. G. Lagerheim made in connection 

 "~ with species of Utricularia collected at Tewkesbury by B. D. Green 

 ^j and preserved in Swedish herbaria, from which he described several 

 new species and varieties of Desmids found attached to these plants. 



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