6 Brewster, In Memoriam: Henry Augustus Purdie. [jau. 



hand. In this he was indefatigable, and few, if any, knew better 

 the locahties where choice plants grew. As a local botanist he 

 held a high rank. He had a keen power of discrimination in the 

 field, and was so thoroughly acquainted by long experience with 

 the finer characters that distinguish closely related species that he 

 often surprised his friends by naming difficult plants when seen 

 from quite a distance. He was especially strong in his knowledge 

 of the trees and shrubs of eastern Massachusetts. As Mr. Purdie 

 did not travel much his field observations were largely confined 

 to Massachusetts, but wherever he went he soon acquired a most 

 excellent knowledge of the flora of that region. As an example 

 of this love for the flora about him and desire to know the plants, 

 may be mentioned his visits to his brother's home in Florida. His 

 interest in the flora there is shown by the frequent communications 

 he sent to the Gray Herbarium, accompanied by specimens, regard- 

 ing perplexing species. In the summer of 1902 he called the 

 attention of Mr. George E. Davenport, the late eminent pteridolo- 

 gist, to a strange form of Aspidium spinulosum (O. F. Miiller) 

 Sw., our Shield or Wood Fern, which he had found in Concord, 

 Massachusetts. This form proved of good varietal distinction, 

 and jSIr. Davenport wished to associate Purdie's name with it. 

 Our friend protested with characteristic modesty, and the plant 

 was published as var. Concordianiim, but it will always be associated 

 with the discoverer by his friends. It was the same modesty that 

 prevented him from publishing from time to time his botanical 

 discoveries." 



Joining the New England Botanical Club, as a Resident Member, 

 on June 4, 1897, Mr. Purdie afterwards attended its meetings 

 (held in Boston monthly from October to June of each year) more 

 or less regularly, but seldom spoke at them. He was also a mem- 

 ber of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and took much 

 interest^in its popular exhibitions of fruits and flowers in Horti- 

 cultural Hall, Boston, occasionally contributing to them collec- 

 tions of flowering goldenrods or other native plants, which attracted 

 no little attention and were sometimes mentioned in the newspapers. 



My personal acquaintance with Henry Purdie began about 1865, 

 when I met him, for the first time, in a basement room of the State 

 House, where the state collection of mounted birds (now at iVm- 



