
          Smithsonian Institution
 Washington Feb 16' 1857


 Dear Doctor,


 We propose instituting a series of 
 operations for the purpose of securing
 a registry of periodical phenomena, as
 first suggested by Nuckelet [Nicollet], Selys de
 Longchamps and others. For this purpose
 we intend to issue lists of objects
 animal and vegetable to be observed
 with directions how to make the observations
 in question. These will be sent
 to all our meteoroligal [meteorological] stations some
 hundreds in number, and distributed over
 the whole of North America. In this
 way in a few years will be collected a large
 amount of material from which important
 generalisations may be made.


 Now you are the proper person
 to prepare a list of the plants which would
 be suitable for this purpose. They should be
 species pretty generally distributed throughout
 the United States, and should include
 the principal naturalized and introduced
 species. By a reference to the reports of the 
 British Association for 1845, you will see the 
 list selected by the European observers, with 
 the conditions attended to in its selection.
 All of these found in this country, either
 nature or introduced, should be employed.


 The lists of animals & plants, with the 
 directions for observing, will probably be appended
 to the meteorological report, preparing
 for us by M. Guyot.


 Will you not do this for
 the Smithsonian Institution?
        