28 



THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



the custody of the American Philosophical Society. After 

 long and diligent search, packages of plants were found 

 which could only be these, as the localities on the label 

 slips were about the same as those given in Pursh's work." 

 After a careful scrutiny of the labels, handwriting and plant 

 sheets it was satisfactorily determined by Mr. Meehan that 

 the plants were those of Lewis and Clark. Pursh had evi- 

 dently studied these collections before starting to Europe with 

 them, leaving duplicates, where there were any, and those 

 which were too imperfect to be easily recognized. A compari- 

 son of Lewis's own labels and Pursh's copies shows that the 

 latter were not always strictly copied — differences can be 

 seen in the comparisons made in the catalogue. Pursh's 

 notes were probably made from Lewis's original memoranda 

 carried away with the specimens, and are, therefore, the 

 more likely to be the exact statements of the collectors, than 

 the copies left with these. The plants first determined by 

 Mr. Meehan were turned over to the Gray Herbarium where 

 they were critically studied by Messrs. Robinson and Green- 

 man. 



With the freedom of three-quarters of a century the 

 museum beetles had made sad work in the bundles. In a 

 few cases the specimens had been wholly reduced to dust, 

 and only fragments were left in other cases. Generally, 

 however, they were in fair condition. The Philosophical 

 Society wisely accepted a proposition to deposit these and 

 other collections with the Academy of Natural Sciences, 

 where they would be properly cared for. All these collec- 

 tions, including those from the Kuram Valley, Afghanstan, 

 made by Major J. E. T. Aitcheson ; from China, Japan, 

 Formosa, Australia and Tasmania ; from the Texo-Mexican 



