The Plants of Buffalo and its Vicinity. 
BY DAVID TH. DAY; 
It is quite certain that before the establishment of the BurraLo 
SociETy OF NATURAL SCIENCES no one had undertaken to inves- 
tigate the Flora of Buffalo and determine what plants it comprised. 
It is true that at rare intervals some of the early botanists and 
collectors had visited our neighborhood. As long ago as 1749, KALM, 
a contemporary and correspondent of LINN&Uus, made an excursion 
to the Falls of Niagara, and, undoubtedly, collected some of the re- 
markable plants of that locality. In 1806, PuRsuH, the author of 
“Flora Americe Septentrionalis’”’ (as we are informed in his pref- 
ace) “traversed the extensive and highly interesting country of 
the Lesser and Great Lakes.” In the following year, MIcHAUx, 
the younger, while engaged in a botanical exploration in western 
New York, traveled from Batavia to Buffalo, recording some inter- 
esting observations respecting our primeval forest; and, some fif- 
teen or twenty years later, DRUMMOND and DouG.ass, distinguished 
botanical explorers, made collections of plants at Niagara. Unfor- 
tunately, however, only the scantiest and most unsatisfactory record 
reaches us of the labors and discoveries of these pioneers of botani- 
cal science in this vicinity. 
Probably the earliest botanist who had a permanent residence in 
Buffalo, was Dr. JoHN A. KINNICUTT :—in 1828, one of the physi- 
cians of the village. In “The Flora of the State of New York,” 
TORREY makes acknowledgement of having received from Dr. KIn- 
NICUTT some of our more notable plants : but, aside from this brief 
mention, we have no account of his botanical labors. 
Upon the organization of the BuFFALO SociETY OF NATURAL 
SCIENCES, in December, 1861, a Committee on Botany was appointed, 
consisting of the Hon. GrorGe W. CLinron, the Society’s first 
President, Dr. CHARLEs C. F. Gay, and the compiler of the present 
Catalogue. In the spring of 1862, the Committee began an investi- 
BUL. BUF. SOC. NAT. SCI. (1) APRIL, 1882, 
