24 
Animals and Plants” and “Chronological History of 
Plants,” the latter work occupying the last sixteen yous 
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 the 
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. 
Rev. John Lewis Russell, son of John and Eunice 
(Hunt) Russell, 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. 

