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perhaps his favorite scientific pursuit and he became very well 

 acquainted with the lower forms of plant life, specializing- more 

 particularly on the Diatomaceae, on which he was regarded as one 

 of the best authorities in New York at the time the writer made 

 his acquaintance, about 1877. He was one of the founders of 

 the American Microscopical Society, and of the New York Mi- 

 croscopical Society ; he was very active in the latter organization 

 and president of it for several years, making frequent communi- 

 cations and exhibits at its meetings. 



About the year 1886 he became interested in photography, 

 and was one of the organizers of the Camera Club, and active 

 in the photographic section of the American Institute. This 

 development of his tastes was the foundation for his subsequent 

 work in the photography of plants and flowers. He successfully 

 conquered the difficulties of photographing flowers at close range, 

 experimenting for many years with all kinds of lenses, plates, and 

 developers, until he attained a dexterity in this work that has 

 probably never been equalled. These studies were persistently 

 and enthusiastically continued by him up to the time of his fatal 

 illness, his work showing continuous improvement. The color- 

 ation of the lantern slides made from his negatives was undertaken 

 by Mrs. Van Brunt about 1890, and she rapidly developed an 

 accuracy of touch and color sense which has indeed been 

 remarkable. The first lecture at which some of these lantern 

 slides were used was on " Botany and Photography," delivered 

 before this Club on April 25, 1893, followed by one on " Wild 

 Flowers in and about New York City," delivered February 27, 

 1895 ; these sowed the seeds for the great interest in the preser- 

 vation of native plants which has led up to the present concerted 

 endeavor to protect natural woodlands and diffuse a taste for the 

 observation of natural objects, the truest kind of nature study. 

 During the last ten years, he has lectured on similar topics, using 

 selections from his great accumulation of colored lantern slides, 

 before many organizations in and about New York, and they have 

 also been used in a few instances in other cities. Latterly he suc- 

 ceeded almost perfectly in enlarging photographs of minute parts 

 of flowers, and many of these results are equal to or better than 

 the best drawings for scientific illustration. 



