V 



78 



Botanical Notes. 



A Proposed Flora of Mt. Desert. For some years past an 

 Annotated Catalogue of the Plants of Mt Desert Island, Maine, 

 has been in active preparation by a number of botanists interested 

 in the flora of the island. As Mt Desert is in many ways a 

 central and representative station for the Maine coast, it is believed 

 that the publication of such a catalogue will be of both botanical 

 and general interest The undertaking is made especially diffi- 

 cult, however, by many unfavorable circumstances, — such as the 

 lack of resident botanists, and the impracticability of carrying on 

 work except in the summer months. It is evident therefore that 

 much dependence must be placed on the assistance of all botan- 

 ists who at any time may chance to visit the island. Communi- 

 cations from any such observers, any lists of species seen or col- 

 lected by them, and any facts of interest regarding the flora may 

 be sent to, and will be gratefully received by Edward L. Rand, 

 27 State St, Boston, Mass., or John H. Redfield, 216 West 

 Logan Square, Philadelphia, Pa. 



P^'ofessor R, A. Philippi, the distinguished Chilian naturalist, 

 has completed his eightieth year, his birthday on September 

 14th having been appropriately celebrated in Santiago. From 

 a somewhat extended account of his life and labors which ap- 

 peared in the *'Centralblatt'' of December 3 1st, we learn that he 

 is of purely German descent, and was born in Charlottenburg in 

 1808. His doctorate was bestowed by the Friedrich Wilhelms 

 University in 1830. Soon afterwards he visited Italy, and spent 

 considerable time at intervals in Sicily, where he wrote a work on 

 the Flora of Mt Etna. For some years he was a teacher of 

 Botany and Zoology in Cassel. For political reasons he went 

 to Chili about 1 851, was instrumental in founding the Lyceum 

 at Valdiviain 1853, and has since been associated with all Chilian 

 scientific matters. Since 1874 he has been director of the San- 

 tiago Museum, and is by far the most learned naturalist in 

 South America. His son, Fred. Philippi, is Professor in the Uni- 

 versity, and Director of the Botanical Garden at Santiago. 



