4 The West Ame? ican Scientist. 



survey of the northwest, collecting along the course of the St. 

 Peters river and up the St. Croix as far as Lake Superior. 



In 1849 he was appointed botanist of the Mexican boundary 

 survey, going by the way of Panama to San Diego, Cali- 

 fornia, where he arrived in July. In September of the same year 

 he accompanied an astronomical party to the junction of the Gila 

 and Colorado rivers, returning to San Diego in December. 

 The following season of 1850 he formed extensive collections 

 along the southern boundary, extending his botanical explora- 

 tions as far north as Monterey, along the coast. The years 185 1 - 

 2 was spent by him on the boundary survey, in Texas, where he 

 made valuable collections in localities never before or since vis- 

 ited by any botanist. He returned to Washington, D. C, in 

 the winter of 1852-3 and prepared his report, since published in 

 the volumes of the Mexican boundary survey. 



In the spring of 1861 the culmination of the Pike's Peak lever 

 again opened the way for western exploration, and in a private 

 trip to the Rocky Mountains, he secured a rare collection of alpine 

 plants, among them some of the early discoveries of Dr. James 

 when on Long's expeditions in 1820, together with many new to 

 science. The following season he was associated with E. Hall 

 and J. P. Harbour in further exploration ot the Rocky Mountain 

 regions, the botanical results of which were published in the pro- 

 ceedings of the Academy of sciences of Philadelphia, for 1863. 



In 1864, in company with Dr. J. W. Velie, then of Rock 

 Island, 111., he continued these explorations, in the vicinity of 

 Long's Peak and Middk Park. 



In 1867 he accompanied a surveying party in the interests of 

 the Pacific Railway Co., across the continent on the line of the 

 35th parallel, north latitude. Valuable collections were secured 

 on this trip in western Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona 

 and California. A list of the plants comprised in this collection 

 was subsequently published in Dr. W. A. Bell's work entitled 

 'New Tracts in North America.' 



An interval of several years subsequent to the latter trip was 

 occupied in filling the position of botanist of the U. S. De- 

 partment of Agriculture, at Washington, D. C, to which he 

 was appointed in 1869. The principal work there devolving up- 

 on him was that of arranging the extensive collections of plants 

 which had accumulated at the Smithsonian Institution as a re- 

 sult of various government explorations. 



In 1872 Dr Parry revisited the alpine regions in the Rocky 

 Mountains in company with the late J. Duncan Putnam. The 

 following year he was attached to the northwestern Wyoming 

 expedition under Capt W. A. Jones, his explorations extending 

 through the Wind river region to the Yellowstone National Park, 

 Mr. Putnam accompanying him as his entomological assistant. 



In 1874 he made a tour to southern Utah, securing a valuable 

 series of the plants of the singular desert district in the valley of 



