* * * 



J^f^. ^'I'^"' "^'''"■^ '^""5 whom were 

 Wh« "''i'" '^l"^-"" Boston? 

 ^^hat was the nature of their perCormanre? 

 Would like all detailed information obtaJn- 



^"''"J imagination when I olaUned 

 that a "flea could be educated." 



TNearly a generation ago the educated 

 fleas were exhibited on Washington street 

 somewhere near West street. They were 

 n charge of an old man who trained tZm 

 himself and fed them on his arm whl?h 

 h^^.h^^^'r ''"^ '^"^ aPPerranTe of 

 l^ l auZIl T^ f\r"'- '^'^<' admission 

 was a quarter of a dollar, and not the lPi^q^ 

 interesting part of the exhibition was the 



gave of his travels. One story waa thaf 

 ■.;hen exhibiting his little pets V^;'?o one 

 of the royal families of Europe a flea es 

 caped and could not be found, upon which 

 fce requested a princess who was present to 

 see^ If It was not upon her person. Tha 



flea which sh^ produced was not his flea 

 wh ch was afterwards discovered. The ex' 

 Wb tion of these fleas showed what infinite 

 patience ca^i^do In training any living thin^. 



173 



One flea took the part of Rebecca at the 

 well and drew up a littio bucket from a 

 miniature well; a pair of fleas drew 

 tiny coach, in which was .seated a "lady" 

 flea with a parasol, while ^ coachman and 

 a footman completed the outfit. Tha 

 dresses were glued to the backs of the fleas, 

 ■which were so slippery that the mlnuto 

 garments wouJd not have rsmalnea on 

 otherwise.] 



* * * 



^Death of Harriet White. 



Harriet White, wife of the late Beni 

 C. Harris, and the last of the family of 

 John and Naucy White, of Weymouth, 

 died 111 Boston, Aug. nth. Mrs. Harris 

 retamed the traces of youthful beauty 

 to her 83d year. She was a woman of : 

 fine natural abilities and marked ener- 

 gy of character, and will be greatly 

 missed by her circle of relatives and | 

 friends. An elder sister of Mrs. Harris" 1 

 Of great excellence of character, and' 

 personal attractions, was Susan White 

 wife of Christopher Webb, also of 

 Weymouth, who through the years of 

 his active life was devoted to the inter- 

 ests of his native town and county. 



M. 



EECENT GIFTS T^l THE GEAY ftERBARIUM 



Mr. George Robert White, of Boston, has subscribed 

 the sum necessary to rebuild and considerably enlarge the 

 laboratories connected with the Gray Herbarium. The 

 new structure will be a two-storied thoroughly fireproof 

 wing, sixty feet long and thirty broad, extending from 

 the central portion of the building toward the conserva- 

 tories. The lower story will contain two laboratories for 

 work in systematic and geographic botany, while a por- 

 tion of the upper will be equipped for the herbarium of 

 the New England Botanical Club. Mr. White's gift in- 

 cludes $21,500 for construction and $10,000 for equip- 

 ment. To secure the highest degree of safety for the 

 collections, the cases and so far as possible the other 

 furnishings will be of steel. 



Through an anonymous gift of $25,000, announced 

 some weeks ago, the Herbarium will also be provided 

 with a library wing, to extend from the main building 

 toward Garden Street and to cover a portion of the site 

 formerly occupied by the Gray residence, recently i-c- 

 moved. Plans for these two extensions, prepared by 

 Mr. W. L. Mowll, have been approved by the Corporation 

 and construction will begin as soon as practicable. 



Mr. Casimir de CandoUe, of Geneva, has given to the 

 Gray Herbarium a cast of a bust of his father, the dis- 

 tinguished Alphonse de Candolle, in remembrance of the 

 constant friendship between his father and Asa Gray. 

 The bust is by the well known sculptor, Hugues Bovy. 



BOTANICAL EXPEDITION TO NEWFOUNDLAND 



An expedition in the interest of the Gray Herbarium, 

 under the direction of Professor Fcrnald, leaves Boston, 

 June 30th. Profes.sor Fernald will be accompanied 

 by Professor Karl M. Wiegand of Wellesley College 

 and Messrs. Edwin H. Bartram and Bayard Long of the 

 Academy of Sciences of Philadelphia, with Mr. Henry T. 

 Darlington, 2 G.S., as general assistant. Headquartprs 

 will be at Grand Falls on the Exploits River, and the 

 explorations will be chiefly on the northeast coast of the 

 island, thus supplementing the former explorations of 

 Profcssoi-s Fernald and Wiegand on the northwest coast. 



