HERBARIUM OF FERNS. 7 



Society, and prove a useful addition to the rich botanical treas- 

 ures of our library, and I beg leave to tender to the Society 

 through you, its honored representative, the results of my labor, 

 with the respectful request that I may be permitted to retain the 

 privilege (by no means, however, intended as a condition) of 

 making such alterations and additions from time to time, as may 

 be necessary to make the work more perfect and complete. 



Respectfully, 



Geo. E. Davenport. 



The following vote was then offered : 



Voted, That the thanks of the Society be presented to George 

 E. Davenport for the very complete and valuable collection of 

 Ferns presented by him to this Society, and that the Society 

 gratefully recognizes the kind interest shown by Mr. Davenport, 

 and would express its deep appreciation not only of the gift but 

 of the kind feelings of the giver. 



E. H. Hitchings seconded the above vote, and said that the 

 collection presented was a most excellent one, and that he rejoiced 

 in its acquisition by the Society. He had thought of making such 

 a collection for the Society if he had not been forestalled by Mr. 

 Davenport. 



John Robinson said he had known for a short time Mr. Daven- 

 port's intention regarding his collection of ferns, and had from 

 time to time examined them. 



Of the one hundred and thirty-one species and twenty-five 

 varieties credited as growing in North America north of Mexico, 

 one hundred and twenty-one species and twenty-four varieties 

 were represented in this collection. Not only were there good 

 specimens of each of these, but the larger portion of the species 

 were represented by numerous specimens, exhibiting nearly every 

 variety of form in which the fern can be found and from many 

 (often widely different) localities. 



Of the ten species not represented, at least four are doubted as 

 being true American species, having been, in all probability, 

 erroneously attributed to this country by certain authors, and not 

 verified by specimens in any existing collection, thus leaving, at 

 the most, but six species as now known to be wanting, although 

 doubtless new species will be discovered. 



Valuable autograph letters from Prof. Asa Gray, Prof. Daniel 



