146 The *Bmcrican Journal of Science and Jirts. 



manner commonly adopted in England, of which it may serve 

 as a specimen: — 



The plants are glued fast to half sheets of very thick and firm 

 white paper of excellent quality, (similar to that employed for mer- 

 chants' ledgers, Sec.,) all carefully cut to the same size, which is 

 usually sixteen and a half inches by ten and three quarters, and the 

 name of the species is written on the lower right-hand corner. All 

 the species of a genus, if they be ie\w in nnmber, or any convenient 

 subdivision of a larger genus, are enclosed in a whole sheet of the 

 same quality, and labelled at the lower left-hand corner. These 

 parcels, properly arranged, are preserved in cases or closets, with 

 folding doors made to shut as closely as possible, being laid horizon- 

 tally into compartments just wide enough to receive them, and of 

 any convenient depth. In the Banksian herbarium, the shelves are 

 also made to draw out like a case of drawers. This method is un- 

 rivalled for eleganco, and the facility with which the specimens may 

 be found and inspected, which, to a working botanist with a large 

 collection, is a matter of tlie greatest consequence. The only ob- 

 jection is the expense, which becomes very considerable when paper 

 worth at least ten dollars per ream is employed for the purpose, 

 which is the case with the principal herbaria in England: but a 

 cheaper paper, if it be only sufficiently thick and firm, will answer 

 nearly as well. 



The collection of Pursh is next noticed. 



The collections of Pursh, which served as the basis of his Flora 

 Ainericcc Septentrionalis, are in the possession of JMr. Lambert, and 

 form a part of his immense herbarium. These, with a few speci- 

 mens brought by Lewis and Clark from Oregon and the Rocky 

 Mountains, a set of Nuttall's collections on the Missouri, and also 

 of Bradbury's, so far as they are extant, with a small number from 

 Frazer, Lyon, &c., compose the most important portion of this her- 

 barium, so far as IJ^orth American botany is concerned. There is 

 also a small Canadian collection made by Pursh, subsequently to the 

 publication of his Flora, a considerable number of Menzies's plants, 

 and other minor contributions. To the general botanist, probably 

 the fine herbarium of Pallas, and the splendid collection of Ruiz and 

 Pavon, (both acquired by Mr. Lambert at a great expense,) are of 

 the highest interest; and they are by no means unimportant in their 

 relations to North American botany, since the former comprises 

 several species from the North West Coast, and numerous allied 

 Siberian forms, while our Californian plants require, in some instanc- 

 es, to be compared with the Chilian and Peruvian plants of the latter. 



Besides these herbaria, may be mentioned two others of 

 more recent formation, which possess the highest interest to 

 the American botanist: they are those of Prof. Lindley and 

 Mr. Bentham. Each of them comprise complete sets of all 

 the plants collected by the unfortunate Douglas in the Oregon 

 Territory, California, and the Rocky Mountains. Mr. Ben- 

 tham's collection of LabiatcB is unequalled, as is also Prof. 

 Lindley's splendid herbarium of orchidaceous plants. Prof. 



