Gifts to the Herbarium.

A most valuable gift has been received by the Herbarium this year in the collection of autographs of botanists, given by Mrs. Asa Gray. This is the most valuable collection of its kind in the United States, and is surpassed by none but that in the British Museum. It contains about eleven thousand autographs and in many cases the photographs or engravings of the botanists. The oldest autograph is that of Conrad Gesner, a Swiss naturalist born in 1516. The date of the autograph is 1563. Among other names contained are those of Linnaeus, 1749, a great Swedish naturalist and the founder of the present methods of botanical classification, Joseph Tournefort and Augustus P. de Candolle, both famous botanists. The collection was begun by Professor Asa Gray and carried on by his wife after his death. It is mounted in four volumes.

Besides this the Herbarium has received since last October over 4000 specimens of plants from various parts of the world. The largest number from one source were those from the Biltmore Herbarium, established by George W. Vanderbilt on his country estate at Asheville, N. C. It comprises 1665 specimens, many of which are rare Southern species. Another large assortment has been sent by Professor C. Conzatti of Oaxaca, Mexico. The plants are of South Mexican growth, a region which has received but little attention from botanists. Many speciamens from California, have been sent by Professor W. L. Jepson of the University of California and Mr. J. W. Congdon of Mariposa, California. An extremely interesting collection, including many critical specimens, has been contributed by Professor Marcus S. Jones of Salt Lake City. The entire collection now contains over 27,-000 specimens, the result of over sixty years of continuous growth.