348 Obituary JS^otices. [sess. lit. 



of Japan U.S. North Pacific Exploring Expedition is perhaps 

 the author's most important contribution to geographical 

 botany. The flora of Japan is compared with those of 

 Eastern and Western America, whilst analogies are derived 

 from the fossil floras of the Cretaceous era and the geolo- 

 gical horizons above it, in the same regions. Asa Gray was 

 no drjasdust herbarium keeper. His removal has called 

 forth spontaneous testimonies from many of his students of his 

 tender personal interest in them, only deepening with the roll- 

 ing years, and of the way in which he led them from simple 

 facts up to the higher morphological problems. His early 

 pupils recall how he might be seen, near the class hour, 

 hurrying down Garden Street of Harvard, his head and body 

 hardly visible because covered with flowers and branches. 

 For many years he w^as a personal influence in North America. 

 Indeed, the day before he w\as struck with paralysis his 

 conversation was marked by the characteristic clearness and 

 vivacity of younger days. The presentation of a silver vase 

 and salver, by 180 of the botanists of North America, on 

 18th November 1885, was the fitting memorial of Asa Gray's 

 seventy-fifth birthday. Letters poured in from all quarters 

 of the land; and on a friend remarking that it must have 

 been a great pleasure to read such friendly greetings, he 

 replied, " I have not read them yet; I must work now. 

 This evening I sliall have time to read them." 



Recreation was found by Gi'ay in a change of work. He 

 had no idle moments. The evenings of the days which had 

 been given to hard work on the fiora of North America would 

 be devoted to dashing ofi' reviews and notices, chiefly for Silli- 

 man's American Journal of Seic.ncr, of which he was co-editor 

 for many years, as well as for the general periodical press. 

 He carefully prepared liis remarks on papers read at scientific 

 meetings. His great paper on the history of Sequoia and 

 tlie relations of Nortli American to North-Eastern Asian as 

 well as to T(!rtiary Vegetation, delivered as retiring President 

 of the Nortli Amf^rican Association for the Advancement of 

 Scien(;e in August 1872, was written in the railway carriages 

 from California to Derbuijue. This was afterwards expanded 

 into an octavo volunie, sind along with some reviews written 

 under similar conditions, forms iJanmniana. 



Dr Gray's name was connected with seventy different 



