42 SBA MOSSES. 



whom Dr. Harvey calls "the earUest American worker 

 in the field of Algology." He sent the first specimens 

 of our American Algae to Dr. Harvey. Though 

 Prof. Bailey lived a considerable distance from the 

 sea, he was mainly instrumental in awakening an 

 interest in these plants among those who were better 

 situated for collecting them than he. They were accus- 

 tomed to send their plants to him, and when he could 

 not resolve them after patient study, he sent them abroad 

 to be determined by the more advanced Algologists 

 of Europe ; and so, gradually, there came to be a little 

 scientific knowledge about these things difiused among 

 American collectors. There was a little knot of en- 

 thusiastic Algologists in New York city and Brooklyn. 

 Am^ong them, Hooper, Lounsbury, Pike, Congdon, 

 Walter and Averill, with whom Bailey was in constant 

 correspondence, and evidently sometimes went col- 

 lecting. 



In a letter, which I have, written by him to Mr. 

 Hooper, he refers to that company in a pleasant way 

 as the " Algerines," and invites them all to come up 

 to West Point, and look over his collections; ''then," 

 he says, "I believe you will carry the war into 

 Barbary with nev\^ zeal. It will be no less pleasure," 

 he adds, " to show my microscope, &c., to several 

 friends at the same time than to one alone." In 



