46 A Yorkshire Botanist. 



with a sight of some of Spruce's letters,* each of which at once 

 betrays his keen powers of observation. The first of them was 

 written so long ago as 1847, when Spruce was preparing to issue 

 his collections of Pyrenean Mosses and Hepaticae. It is written 

 in a small but fine hand, and, as with all his writing, most easy 

 to read — not always a characteristic of a naturalist's hand- 

 writing ! We quote the letter, as it not only gives information 

 as to Spruce's methods, but probably also gives some indication 

 of the way in which Mr. Slater first took up the study of mosses, 

 with such good result : — 



' As you were kind enough to say that you could fasten down for me the 

 specimens of a set of my Musci Pyrenaici I herewith send one for that 

 purpose. 



I have gummed down a few of the topmost specimens, in order that 

 you may judge how to do the rest. It is the best way to fasten down 

 iirst the labels (by gumming them on the left side only), and afterwards 

 the specimens. There are usually four specimens in each sheet of coarse 

 paper, and when you have gummed these it will be advisable to apply 

 a little pressure to them by means of sheets of drying-paper laid on them, 

 or otherwise. Wherever you find loose calyptrcs laid, they will require 

 to be attached to the paper over the tops of any of the capsules. 



If you apply your lens to any of the species which are new to you, as 

 you go along, you may thereby attain a very fair idea of their outside 

 appearance (at least). 



To fasten down a set like this occupies me from two to three days, 

 working at it all day. If I ask you to let me have it in a fortnight, you will, 

 I suppose, easily finish it by taking an hour whenever you think you could 

 not better employ it.' 



Born at Ganthorpe, near Castle Howard, the son of a school- 

 master, Richard Spruce also began his career as a schoolmaster 

 at Haxby, and v/as later at the Collegiate School at York, until 

 it closed in 1844. From his earliest years, however, he 

 developed a love for botany, and in 1837 he drew up a list of 

 the flowering plants of the Malton district, comprising 485 

 species, f In 1841 he wrote his first paper on ' Three Days on 

 the Yorkshire Moors,' which was printed in ' The Phytologist.' 

 Subsequently numerous papers appeared from his pen, a com- 

 plete list of which is given' by Dr. Wallace. 



Spruce's first long journey was to the Pyrenees, the pub- 

 hshed results of which brought him into contact with most of 

 the leading botanists of his day. His greatest achievement 

 in the way of publications, however, was his ' Hepaticae of tlie 

 Amazon and the Andes of Peru and Ecuador,' in .1885. This 

 consisted of 600 closely-printed pages, and contained descrip- 

 tions of over 700 species and varieties, mostly collected by him- 

 self, of which over 400 were new to the science. 



* One of these, dated 1879, the present writer is permitted to retam. 

 It has a reference to ' The Naturalist.' t This is in Mr. Slater's possession. 



' Naturalist, 



