Rec'd Dec. Ist 



WienNov.8th, 1880 



Most honored Sirl 



I take pleasure in expressing my gratitude for the kind gift of the first section of volume 2 

 ofthe Transactions ofyour treasured academy ofsciences. 



This section has as usual many interesting articles but especially interesting to 

 me and above all to the Vice President of the imperial and royal society for Geology the 

 Honorable Dionys Stur was your work on the revision ofthe Pinus family. In this regard I 

 allow myself to put a request to you on his behalf. 



Mr. Stur has started to put together a collection of wooden branches and cones 

 from the conifer family with the intent ofmaking a detailed comparison ofthe structures 

 ofdifferent fossil woods. This collection so far has a couple of hundred specimens but 

 that is not very much and we try to get many more and this from botanists who are 

 serious about the progress of their science. These specimens are not to be put on 

 display but rather serve for microscopic preparations. The size is thus not of concern 

 and usually we get pieces that are 25-30 cm long and a cross section of 2-5 centimeter. 

 Because there is a Sharp distinction between wood from roots and stem in cycads, 

 coniferae and filicerdi these are most desirable. Others ofgreatest interest to mr. Snur 

 are Cunninghamia, Callitris, Achinostrobus, Widdingtonia, Tascodium, Glyptostrobus, 

 Magnolia etc. We take everything we can get with the wärmest gratitude. 



I therefore put it to you that we very much would like pieces from your collections 

 of wood and cones for the imperial and royal society of geology and as these are to be 

 used for very important studies in paleontology and your Honor is regarded as a 

 Champion of scientific research I feel certain that this request is not in vain. 



I allow myself to send you for your herbarium fruits of Trapa natans L. and T. 

 verbanensis de Not. in a small box. De Notaris found the last ofthe Trapa family in Lake 

 Maggiore and has deschbed it in the publications of the Accademia dei Linceif Ser II T.3 

 Decbr.1875). 



Pastor Mahe has now found it together with T. natans in the See ofMantua and it 

 is from this locality that your box specimens stem. 



We are also very interested in diatomaceae from your area. Count Castracane 

 and Dr. Lanzipursue these studies and have published several worthwhile articles. 



