498 
• CHARLES CHRISTOPHER PARRY. 
mountain peaks of Colorado. This region was then almost 
unknown botanically, and Dr. Parry fairly reveled in the 
untrodden field and brought to scientific attention numerous 
of its beautiful alpine plants. Those botanists who are so 
fortunate as to have visited a high mountain peak and seen 
in its native state the delicate, bright-colored floral wealth 
can well appreciate the enthusiasm of a botanist who, like 
Dr. Parry, had the good fortune to visit many an alpine 
summit where almost every second plant was new to science. 
It was an experience that has fallen to the lot of few botan¬ 
ists, and it is little wonder that after this, exploration became 
his passion. Perhaps one of the pleasantest incidents of this 
w r ork was the discovery of the beautiful primrose that bears 
his name (Primula Parryi). 
In 1867 he became attached as botanist to that one of the 
Pacific Railroad surveys which crossed the continent on the 
thirty-fifth parallel. His abundant collections were described 
in conjunction with Dr. Torrey. 
In 1869 Dr. Parry was appointed botanist of the Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture, a position which he held for three years. 
His work while thus connected was mainly of a routine 
character, such as identifying and caring for the great collec¬ 
tions which had begun to pour into the national repository. 
It was work of a scientific technical nature, so much so, in 
fact, that it was made the basis of action for his removal. 
That his discontinuance in official life was regarded as a great 
loss to botanical science is shown by the public letters of 
Dr. Asa Gray and others written at that time. 
It was while in Washington that Dr. Parry was elected to 
membership in the Philosophical Society. He was elected 
May 13, 1871, but, so far as the records show, did not take 
part in any of its meetings. However, he remained in Wash¬ 
ington only a short time after his election, else the Society 
would doubtless have been enriched, as was the Davenport 
Academy of Science, which he helped to found, by contribu¬ 
tions from his abundant resource of exploration and dis¬ 
covery. 
