INTRODUCTION. 167 



north of the Highlands. Doctors John Torrey and Asa Gray have been many 

 years engaged in collecting and preparing materials for a complete " Flora of 

 North America." The first volume of their work, comprising the polypetalous 

 division of the dicotyledonous or exogenous plants, was published at intervals 

 between 1838 and 1840. The authors adopt the natural system, and the work has 

 been executed in a manner entirely in harmony with its high design. Besides 

 these more elaborate works, other contributions to botanical science have appeared 

 from time to time in scientific journals. Among these we refer to papers in 

 "Silliman's Journal," by doctor Gray, David Thomas and others; descriptions of 

 new and rare plants in the state of New- York, by doctor Gray, published in the 

 " Annals of the New- York Lyceum of Natural History ;" catalogues of the indi- 

 genous plants of particular counties or towns, printed in the reports of the regents 

 of the university ; and especially papers by professor Dewey and doctor Knies- 

 kem, contained in the last annual report. Many valuable papers on practical 

 botany, and its relations to agriculture, are to be found in agricultural journals. 



The science of zoology in this state owes its origin to Samuel L. Mitchill, 

 who, in 1813, commenced, and in the succeeding year completed, an elaborate 

 account of the fishes of New- York. This paper was given to the public in the 

 " Transactions of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New- York." The 

 work, although strictly local, and limited chiefly to a description of the fishes 

 found in the waters in the vicinity of the city of New- York, became a standard 

 of reference and compai-ison for succeeding laborers in the field of ichthyology. 

 That science not only received from the labors of doctor ]\Iitchill a great im- 

 pulse, but its votaries here won for themselves regard from the savans of the old 

 world, and were encouraged to persevere in their labors, even under disadvan- 

 tageous and almost discouraging circumstances. To that impulse may be attri- 

 buted the formation of the " Lyceum of Natural History" in the city of New- 

 York in 1818. In connection with this department of natural history, it would 

 be unjust to pass without notice the efforts and researches of De Witt Clinton, 

 who, although engrossed in public duties, devoted himself with assiduity to the 



