INTRODUCTION 



IT is just thirty-eight years ago since first I came in contact 

 with John Macoun. I was a young man then, riding and 

 farming on the prairies of Western Manitoba, but my thoughts 

 were not on the farm. My eyes were ever turning to the wild 

 life about me — the birds and flowers. I was suffering too, amid 

 the pleasure of it, suffering from the knowledge-hunger — the total 

 absence of books and guides. Botanies were indeed scarce in 

 those days, and I had made a collection of prairie flowers (now in 

 the St. Louis Herbarium) with only the popular names attached ; 

 in some cases they were names which I had given them, for lack 

 of better. 



Then I met a government official at Winnipeg, who said: 

 "Why don't you write to Professor John Macoun at Ottawa? He 

 is the best naturalist in Canada and is one of those big men who 

 always are ready to help a student." 



So, without introduction of any kind, I sent a preliminary 

 collection of plants to Macoun, asking if he would name them for 

 me. His answer is before me now, in his own handwriting : 



Ottawa, August 15th, 1884 

 My Dear Sir: 



"I reached home yesterday, after having been absent about 

 nine weeks and, in going over my correspondence, find yours. 



"Any assistance I can give regarding botany you can always 

 have for the asking, so do not be backward in that line. 



"The names of your plants are as follows:" (Here follows 

 a long list.) 



"Your plants are all common forms on the prairie except No. 

 23, (Physalis lanceolata Michx,) which, as far as I know to the con- 

 trary, is rare. I would like to know the exact locality where 

 found, etc. 



"Wishing you every success in botany and ornithology, and 



