702 The Smithsonian Institution 



octavo pages. The next part to appear, including Capri- 

 foliacese- Composite, being a revision of the second volume of 

 the Torrey and Gray " Flora," was called Volume i, Part n, 

 of the "Synoptical Flora," and was published by the Smith- 

 sonian Institution in July, 1884. In January, 1886, an addi- 

 tional part of about one hundred and fifty pages was published 

 by the Institution, and contained supplements and indexes to 

 the two parts previously issued. The death of Professor 

 Gray occurred on January 30, 1888, and later in that year 

 the two parts already published, together with the supple- 

 ments, were bound together in one large volume and issued 

 as one of the " Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections." The 

 further prosecution of the work was intrusted to Professor 

 Gray's successor, Doctor Sereno Watson ; but his death, a 

 few years later, delayed the appearance of any part of the 

 "Synoptical Flora" until, in October, 1895, Doctor B. L. 

 Robinson, the successor of Doctor Watson as Curator of the 

 Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, issued the first 

 fascicle of Volume i, Part i, including Polypetalae, from 

 Ranunculacese to Frankeniaceae, prepared, in part, from the 

 manuscripts of Professor Gray and Doctor Watson. 



The " Contributions" relating to cryptogams, which have 

 been published by the Institution, treat mainly of algae. The 

 second volume of the " Contributions " included a paper by 

 Professor J. W. Bailey on " Microscopical Examination of 

 Soundings made by the United States Coast Survey off the 

 Atlantic Coast of the United States," and another on "Micro- 

 scopical Observations made in South Carolina, Georgia, and 

 Florida." These were the first papers published by the Insti- 

 tution in which reference was made to plant-life. Since they 

 did not treat exclusively of plants, but of animals as well, 

 only passing notice is required in this connection. In these 

 two papers, as well as in a later paper, " Notes on New Spe- 



