24 



Animals and Plants" and "Chronological History of 

 Plants," tlie latter work occupying the last sixteen years 

 of his life in its preparation. 



During his college life Dr. Pickering spent much of his 

 time at Wenham, at the homestead of his grandfather, 

 Col. Pickering, and here he was in the habit of botanizing 

 in company with William Oakes, a favorite locality being 

 the " Great Swamp." It is but right that Essex County 

 should claim a share of the honor of his name, for it was 

 here that his attention was drawn to botany, and in the 

 Chronological History of Plants, page 1063, we find thes 

 following entry " 1824 * * In this year, after an excur- 

 sion in 1823, with William Oakes diverting my attention 

 from entomology, my first botanical discovery." Dr. 

 Pickering died at Boston, March 17, 1878. The writer 

 will always remember with pleasure and gratitude the 

 many hours spent with Dr. Pickering during 1876 and 

 '77, while he patiently sought out, among his early 

 manuscript notes and his letters from William Oakes, the 

 species and stations noticed while botanizing in Essex 

 County more than fifty years before. 



Kev. John Lewis Eussell, son of John and Eunice 

 (Hunt) Eussell, was born at Salem, Dec. 2, 1808. He 

 was at Harvard in the class of 1828, and graduated at the 

 divinity school in 1831. After occupying pulpits in 

 Chelmsford, Hingham, Brattleboro, Kennebunk and vari- 

 ous other places, he returned in 1853 to Salem, where he 

 resided, preaching occasionally, until his death June 7, 

 1873. 



Mr. Russell was particularly devoted to cryptogamic 

 botany, publishing accounts of his investigations from 

 time to time as he proceeded, besides many popular arti- 

 cles on various families of plants. He lectured frequently 

 on botany and was for many years vice-president of the 

 Essex Institute. 



