237 



terial. Professor Massee, who has charge of this portion of the 

 herbarium, showed me every kindness. Mrs. Murrill and I re- 

 member pleasant hours spent at his home, near the Gardens ; 

 and also at the home of Professor Hemsley, curator of the her- 

 barium. The last two days of my stay in London I was the guest 

 of Colonel Prain, the new director of Kew Gardens, whom I 

 found thoroughly installed, with everything well in hand, and be- 



The Royal Gardens at Kew, several centuries old and famous 

 for their beauty and for their valuable collections, have been fre- 

 quently referred to before in this and other botanical journals ; 

 while many of the methods there employed have found their way 

 into the principal botanical gardens of the world. 



Shortly before leaving London, I visited Dr. M. C. Cooke, the 

 distinguished mycologist, at his home in Kentish Town, where 

 he has lived for the last forty years. He met me at the door and 

 gave me a hearty welcome. His cheerful voice, vigorous step, 

 and firm round handwriting seemed hardly in accord with a busy 

 life of eighty-one years. " Fungoid Pests of Cultivated Plants," 

 a volume recently issued, lay on his table, while the shelves of 

 his library were largely filled with numerous original works on a 

 great variety of subjects. His eldest son, inheriting his father's 

 artistic talent, is an illustrator for a well-known publishing house 

 in London ; his youngest child, a daughter, is the only one left 

 at home. The best photograph of Dr. Cooke is to be found 

 copied in a recent number of the Journal of Mycology ; the 

 original having been made about eighteen months ago by the 

 royal photographer for a special series of scientific men. 



My stay in Europe ended August 1 1, when I sailed from Liver- 

 pool for America, arriving in New York August 18. 

 Respectfully submitted, 



W. A. Murrill, 

 First Assistant. 



