pnitter0ift| of Chicago 



Department of Botany The Botanical Ga?ette 



January 8, 1902. 



My dear Deans:- 



I thought surely I should have time to write you during the 

 Christmas recess, but it was completely absorbed by examination papers, 

 reports, and a special job of writing whoch had to be completed by 

 December 30. Then followed the meeting* of the natur-lists^t^ which we 



had over 300 , and these took all the days from December 30 to January 

 2 and a good share of the nights as well. We had a most successful bo- 

 tanical meeting , of which you will see a report in SCIENCE. Botanists 

 were here from Minneapolis on the no rtftvtftt , Denver and Dakota on the 

 west and Columbus, Ohio to the east. At the other meetings , which the 

 eastern societies had planned to hold at Chicago, of course there were 

 many eastern men. Among them Minot , Mark, Sedgwick and others of that 

 rank. I think they all had a good time, and certainly the^e was a sur- 

 plus of papers. 



The little book which you sent reached me the day before 

 Christmas, and I have enjoyed its tales of animal life. Lyle is reading 

 it also with interest. I think it in some respects superior to Sexton's 

 books. I gave lyle "Lives of the hunted" and he has been devouring that 

 nightly. 



I carry the mate to the little calendar-diary that I sent you, 

 and if your memory is as poor as mine, you will find it a useful affair. 

 We shfcal* be twins that far at least'. 



Have I t -Id you that we are going abroad for nine months at the 



7 ? 

 end of this quarter. We plan to sail from lew York on the 22 t! of March 



and & am almost counting the weeks until rest comes. I have been teach- 

 ing almost continuous for three years and am getting decidedly stale. 



