THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 263 



been spent under the present roof. Since living there he 

 has been engaged in a variety of pursuits. 



In 1878, he dropped every thing else and com- 

 menced ta devote his whole time to fungi, desiring to dis- 

 seminate more widely a knowledge of North American 

 fungi and to arouse home botanists, if possible, from their 

 apathetic indifference towards these plants. He decided to 

 begin in a modest way by issuing ten sets of New Jersey 

 fungi, under the title of " Fungi Nova-Csesarienses." He 

 put up ten centuries on sheets of paper in boxes. Of the 

 two sets sold one went to Dr. Farlovv, the other to Mr. Isaac 

 C. Marti ndale. About this time Mr. Ellis went to see the 

 latter gentleman, who asked, " Why not call it N. A. F." ? 

 Mr. Ellis seeing the greater appropriateness and scope of 

 such a title recalled the two sets and concluded to get out 

 a series of centuries in bound volumes, entitled, " North 

 American Fungi." At that time he was so pressed for means 

 that he had not money enough to get the books made for 

 the first two centuries. Thereupon, Prof. Farlow, who 

 favored the scheme, had the books made in Boston and 

 advanced them to Mr. Ellis, who paid for them as soon as he 

 was able. The centuries took well from the start, and from 

 thirty-five sets to begin with the demand rapidly increased 

 up to fifty-three sets, which number of copies has been 

 issued regularly for the past five or six years. Altogether 

 thirty-six centuries have been issued. In all this great 

 undertaking, as well as in others which might be mentioned, 

 the cheerful interest and practical helpfulness of Mrs. 

 Ellis has been constantly apparent. She has made 

 and bound all the books except the first sixty, which Dr. 

 Farlow kindly advanced for his friend at the beginning. 



