BIOLOGICAL SECTION — EEPORT OF DIRECTOR. 121 



I hope that the members of the Section will bear this in mind, and not 

 only observe carefully, but also record their observations and report them 

 at our meetings, so that they may be preserved in a permanent form 

 in our Proceedings, and thus be of use to others besides ourselves. The 

 number and variety of living things is so great, that in order to make 

 any very satisfactory progress, we must each of us condne our principal 

 attention to some one or more particidar and limited departments. A 

 few things thoroughly learned will be of much greater value than any 

 amount of half made observations on a great variety of objects. Hav- 

 ing made these more general remarks, I will now make more particular 

 mention of the present condition and future needs of the various depart- 

 ments of Biology in our own locality. 



In Phcenogamic Botany more progress has been made than in any 

 other department. As early as 1847, the flowering plants growing in this 

 vicinity were collected by Dr. C. C. Parry, and he included them in his 

 list of the plants of Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, published in Owen's 

 Report. Since that time other collections have been made by the late 

 Alfred Sanders, and by Messrs J. J. Nagel and J. G. Haupt, whose col- 

 lections have been included in the Herbarium of the Academy. In the 

 list prepared by Mr. Haupt, and published in the first volume of our Pro- 

 ceedings, 410 species are enumerated. During the past year several 

 additional species were collected, and it is likely that others will yet be 

 found. It may prove interesting and instructive for our collectors to 

 give some attention to the local distribution, times of flowering, and 

 other habits of the various species. In addition to the local collections 

 above mentioned, the Herbarium contains a very complete collection of 

 about 2,000 species of eastern plants, presented by Hon. G. W. Clinton, 

 of Buffalo, X. Y., and smaller collections received from J. C. Arthur, of 

 Charles City, Iowa, and from Dr. E. Palmer, collected in Southern Cali- 

 fornia. The Herbarium is contained in four walnut cases, made after 

 the design of Dr. Parry. 



In Cryptogamic Botany scarcely anything has been accomplished, as 

 ,yet. The field is a comparatively new one and the difficulties are great, 

 but we hope om- members will continue to persevere, and success will be 

 sure to crown their efforts. 



But it is in Zoology that we feel the greatest need of more active workers. 

 Strange as it may seem, we have practically no definite knowledge what- 

 ever of the Vertebrates found in this vicinity. Nothing like a complete list 

 has ever been attempted. A small number of stuffed birds and mammals 

 are contained in the Museum of the Academy, but they are not deter- 

 mined or labeled, and are in danger of being destroyed by insects for 

 ■u^ant of proper cases to receive them. An interesting collection of 

 skulls has been commenced by Mr. Pratt, and should be continued until 

 all our species are represented. It would be well, in some instances, to 

 carefully pi'eserve the entire skeletons, even if not able to mount them. 

 I hope that this year we may be able to make the beginning of a more 

 systematic survey of the zoological featm-es of this district, and would 

 particularly urge our friends of the shot-gun and fishing-tackle to remem- 



[Proc. D. A. X. S. Vol. IL] 17 [May, 1877.] 



