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Correspondence of Charles Peck and G. W. Clinton |
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The
Correspondence of Charles
Peck (1833-1917) and George
William Clinton (1807-1885) 1866 Part 2 Vol. 3 (112) [M117] My Dear Sir, The most interesting of the four specimens is No. 1, although it is
sterile. I think it is a form of Hypnum stellatum, but it does
not fully agree with the description. It is less robust than usual, has the
color green instead of yellowish and many of the leaves have a
slight costa, either single or double, at the base. These differences,
however, are so slight and the general appearance, except in color, is so
like Hypnum stellatum that in the absence of fruit and more decided
characters, we can do no better than regard as a form of that species. Have
you been to No. 2 is one of the forms of our old and common friend Dicranum
scoparium var. pallidum 3 Dicranum flagellare 4 Dicranum undulatum Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received August 12 Vol. 3 (130) [M99] My Dear Sir, I have returned from my annual rural retreat. I can report much
success in my insect collections, but little in mosses. I have added but one
species to our N.Y. mosses, viz. Hypnum sylvaticum, a rare one
formerly found by Oakes on the White Mts., but, I think, not before found in
this state. I have at last found Mastigobryum trilobatum in
fruit, which to me is almost as much a source of gratification as the
discovery of a new species would be, so rarely does it fruit with us. I send
you a specimen. I also send a little branch of an Epilobium found on the east
bank of Mr. Austin sends me the names of five species of moss new to our
State. He found them in Rockland Co. but has not yet sent specimens. Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received Sept. 3 Vol. 3 (139) [M90] My Dear Sir, Prof. Gray, to whom I sent a specimen of the Epilobium
says it is Epilobium hirsutum; that in making up the Addenda he
had overlooked the matter of the stigma and that it would be all right in New
Edition. The plant appears to be perfectly naturalized and well established
in the wet places on the steep hill or bank on the east side of Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton I have a few specimens of Panicum xanthopysum for you. What shall I
do with them? Received Sept. 21 Vol.
3 (140) [M89] Dear
Sir: I
have taken the responsibility of sending to your care a set of the printed
Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which
are intended for the LIbrary of the Natural History
Society of Buffalo: a gift to it from the Association. Let
me take this opportunity to thank you for the interest you manifested in the
recent meeting of the Association in your beautiful city, and for your many
courtesies extended to its members: and especially for your cordial and
eloquent words of welcome. I missed your presence on the last day or two of
the session, and regretted to hear that you were not in your usual health. With
the highest regard, Yours
&c &c Joseph
Levering [Prof.] Hon:
G. W. Clinton Received
Spet. 21, answered Sept. 30 Vol. 3 (143) [M86] My Dear Sir, I find the following species in your "grab" from the
Catskills. In Paper box Dicranum interruptum Ceratodon purpureus Orthotrichum Hutchinsiae Hedwigia ciliata Pogonatum brevicaule Pogonatum alpinum Atrichum angustatum Mnium spinulosum Hypnum delicatulum Hypnum splendens Hypnum plumosum Hypnum adnatum Hypnum Muhlenbeckii Hypnum denticulatum Hepatics Scapania nemorosa Jungermania barbata Jungermania saxatilis? Anthoceros puncatus Ptilidium ciliare In the bundle left at the school building, besides some of the above
I find: Dicranum undulatum Polytrichum juniperinum Polytrichum piliferum Bryum argenteum Sphagnum cuspidatum Hypnum uncinatum Also Selaginella rupestris and Isoetes macrospora as you say. I am
glad to get this ‑ it being new to me. Thanks for it. Of the two or
three lichens only one is known to me ‑ the green one, Sticta pulmonaria.
The peculiar appearance of Bryum argenteum of which you speak is due to the slender
points of the leaves. The costa ceases before reaching the point. None
of the mosses are new or especially remarkable as you will see by the list,
but if there are any you would like, I will send them. The specimens of
Hypnum plumosum are very fine but not rare. I wish I had known you were going to the Catskills and directed you
to the locality of Blindia acuta, but then you must have had such a stormy
time that perhaps it is as well as it is ‑ the locality being beyond
the Laurel House. In the wet grounds just beyond the Mountain House barn,
towards the lake, is Sphagnum rigidum Schp. (S. compactum Brid.) and under
the pines and spruces between the house and the lakes is Dicranum drummondi.
On the ledge skirting the path leading to Have you got your specimens from the Curator's office? Lest I should
forget it I will say that in the Very truly yours Charles H. Peck P.S. Hypnum polygamum is to be added to our List of
N.Y. Mosses. C. H. P. Received Sept. 24 Vol. 3 (147) [M82] My Dear Sir, I send the few things you desired from the I found but two or three stems of Pogonatum alpinum and have inclosed
in separate paper enough from my own collection to make a viewable specimen.
Jung. saxatilis and minuta are separaable only in
fruit. Yours are sterile. I say only a single plant of Jung. barbata
in your specimens and kept no farther trace of it ‑ it being common.
Will send specimens of my own collection if you desire it. Yours truly Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton P.S. In a recent letter from Mr. Lesquereux he wished to be
remembered to you. Received Sept. 27 Vol. 3 (150) [M79] My Dear Sir, I have examined the specimens of the Reverend J. Fowler with much
interest, and the following result. No 1 Hypnum laetum 2 Bryum bimum 3 Mnium cuspidatum 4 Not determined. It comes near Hypnum fluitans but I can not regard
it as that species. It is probably a species new to this country, and may be Hypnum
attenuatum which Mr. Lesquereux indicated to me as being near
fluitans, but which so far as I know has not before been found in this
country. I have access to no description of H. attenuatum, but as the leaves
of this No 4 differ especially from those of H. fluitans in having a long
attenuated point (very slightly toothed) the name would seem to be an
appropriate one at least. I will send this to Mr. Lesqx. for
his opinion. 5 Hypnum schreberi 6 Hypnum adnatum 7 Dicranum flagellare & Campylopus viridis 8 Dicranum congestum? The fruit is not in good condition whence the
doubt. 9 Mnium lycopodioides 10 Mnium cuspidatum 11 Trichocolea tomentella Hepat. 12 Mnium cuspidatum 13 This number was omitted I suppose 14 A Hypnum hispidulum & Hypnum serpens mixed. B Hypnum laetum 15 A Hypnum haldanianum B Ceratodon purpureus 16 Bryum nutans 17 seems also to have been omitted 18 Dicranum scoparium var. pallidum 19 Hypnum umbratum Of the above Nos. 4, 9 and 19 are very desirable. 19 is sterile. I would like it in fruit if possible. I think
I must write to Mr. Fowler after I receive Mr. L's decision concerning No. 4 I recently found Polygonum articulatum on the pine
barrens toward Yours very truly Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received Sept. 29 Vol. 3 (177) [M47] My Dear Sir, The package of mosses reached me safely. I will examine name &c.
I see upon hastily looking through them that you have done well with Bryum
atropurpureum and have it from Smoke's Creek ‑ showing that it
is not confined to Forest Lawn. Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received Dec. 2 Vol. 3 (188) [M34 My Dear Sir, Yours of the 6th inst. received. I do not now remember about the
specimens from "Devil's Hole Nov. 21", but the two slips of paper
in one folio would signify that I found in the specimens therein, the two species
Hypnum triquetrum and Hypnum giganteum for they
are not synonymous. The species ought to have been separated if there
was no mistake on my part. Send them on again if there is any confusion among them and I will
set them right. Ephemerum crassinervium
I found in In letter of Dec. 5 you send "No 1 near The mosses found in your visit to "new station of
Scolopendrium" are Anomodon viticulosus and an Orthotrichum
probably O. anomalum (small) I am almost through with the package. Will endeavor to finish it
next week. I think Mr. Gilbert must be an unreliable botanist. He did not
even send me some specimens of Hypnum scorpioides after Mr.
Paine had collected them for me and brought them to Very truly yours Charles H. Peck P.S. Went to the Helderbergs to day; found a few good things but
nothing new. C. H. P. Received Dec. 9 Vol. 3 (192) [M30] My Dear Sir, The little fellow from Dr. Howe is doing well. He has found Bryum uliginosum
for us, also Hypnum diversifolium near Please send me a bit of the Schistidium confertum from Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received Dec. 11. Dec. 12, complied with Vol. 3 (197) [M25] My Dear Sir, I return by Express the package of moss recently sent me, having
separated and named so far as practicable. In a few instances in which the species were so intermixed that I
could not separate them without tearing the specimen all into shreds, I have
left them as they grew. Two or three things I must leave in doubt. The large
green Orthotrichum from French Creek I have called O. affine, but
must have mr. Lesqx's determination of it. The leaves are clearly papillose,
but the capsule does not quite agree with that of the "Musci"
specimens ‑ it being less long and slender. The Manual says the habitat
of O. affine is "Rocks"; your specimens appear to have grown on trees,
but we have seen of how little importance this is, in the case of O.
anomalum. It is barely possible your specimens may be a large form of O.
strangulatum, but my opinion is more in favor of O. affine.
Please send a little to Mr. Lesqx, and inform me of his decision. Whatever it
may be, I consider it as one of the good things of your package. Mnium affine
var. rugicum, though in small quantity, is another; so also Mnium
lycopodioides and fertile Hypnum aduncum. The specimens
of Pleuridium alternifolium are beautiful. You have also Dicranum scoparium
from 18 m. cr. [Mile Creek?] I have taken the liberty to take out a little of
some of these for myself. I send the Panicum xanthophysum and Epilobium hirsutum you desired,
also a few miscellaneous things which I dare not hope will be of any account
to you who having collected so long and largely most probably have found them
over and over again. But Mr. Paine gives Scirpus planifolius, Carex
vestita and Alopecurus geniculatus the reputation of
being rare. Cyperus filiculmis and Polygonum articulatum are from the
sandy region toward Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received Dec. 15 Vol. 3 (203) [M19] My Dear Sir, I think it makes but little difference whether the specimens are
glued directly to the large sheet or first glued to a small piece of paper
and then attached to the large one. By the first method some labor would be
saved ‑ by the second, the specimens would be in better condition for
removal, should it ever become necessary to transfer them from one sheet to
another, for the small paper need only be glued at the corners slighty, so
that it could be easily taken off. If the large sheets are good white paper
it seems to me the specimens will show as well one way as the other; but if
coarse and dark, perhaps the second method would look best. I scarcely think
it worth while to poison the specimens. My own have never been so treated and
yet the mites do not trouble them so far as I can see. but
my specimens are comparatively recent, none being more than five years old,
and I generally throw a little camphor [yarn? green?] about them in the
spring. I do not htink moss is as liable to injury from this source as
flowering plants are. I put your Norwegian mosses in the Curator's room with the rest of
your bundles. They were in a thin packet by themselves, tied up with the
others. By your previous permission I had taken a part of such specimens as I
desired, but in no case did I take all of any species. I do not know
how to account for them if they are not with the others. The packet last sent
me I returned yesterday by American Express. In looking over some doubtful specimens collected by me two years
ago on the Catskills, I find some Hypnum polygamum. I send you
a specimen, deaming it a rare species with us. Mr. Paine found a little of it
in South Herkimer Co. I recently received a letter from Rev. J. Fowler, who says he has
found an abundance of Climacium dendroides finely fruiting. I
have also a hundred or more species of English mosses to examine for Mr. W.
W. Denslow of I might add that in putting up my own specimens of moss I intend to
separate a single plant from the tuft and glue it by itself so as to show the
size, ramification, etc. clearly, thus: [two lovely little drawings] Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton P.S. Unless you are particular about giving a whole sheet to each
species, I think in case of the smaller species it would be as well to put
more than one on a sheet i.e. of the herbarium size; but in no case would I put
species of different genera on one sheet. One sheet would hold nicely both of
our species of Gymnostomum with the varieties, unless you put upon it large
pockets for duplicates. Received & answered Dec. 18 Vol. 3 (205) [M17] My Dear Sir, The moss is Hypnum umbratum Ehrh. It is a good thing
and was numbered "19" in the package of Mr. Fowlers mosses sent
last summer. I have found it, only sterile; on the Catskill Mts. I sent to
Mr. F. for specimens This No "4" Mr. Lesqx. pronounced
Hypnum uncinatum var. [gamma] I do not remember
whether you have ever sent me H. uncinatum so will send you specimens of this
rather variable species. I have it both from S. L. [ Yours very truly Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Received Dec. 19 Vol. 3 (208) [M14] My Dear Sir, The two papers of "Hypnum rusciforme" you send are
correctly named. The "Hypnum salebrosum" from In my recent trip to the Helderbergs I found a little H. salebrosum
on an old stump. Though the specimens were not as good as I could like, being
much overrun with other things which hindered their free growth and
necessitated much labor in cleaning them, I was glad to get so rare a species
and inclose a specimen for you. If you are selecting mosses from your collections for an Herbarium you ought to have them all, and yet I do not
see how it is possible for you to have them all and not have the
Norwegian specimens which I tied up snugly in one of the two large packages
which I made of your mosses. Did you get both packages? I put them
side by side, thus; in the back room [a little drawing of two packages] You may wonder at my ignorance of the contents of the Curator's
office, but I have not been able to find any one there the whole fall, though
I have been there at least a dozen different times; consequently could not
gain admittance without inconveniencing others more than I was willing to do.
I will go down again to‑morrow and see if I can get in long enough to
satisfy myself concerning your specimens. I regret very much to learn of Mr. Denslow's failing health. Though
I had but just made his acquaintance I thought I observed an
earnestness in him that I liked. Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton P.S. I found some Hypnum salebrosum in your last winter specimens
from Devil's Hole. Received Dec. 20 & answered Vol. 3 (210) [M 12] My Dear Sir; The little "Fissidens on clay," which you sent I consider F.
minutulus, Sulliv. F. exiguus has no pellucid border to
the leaf: your specm. have. F. minutulus and
F. bryoides both have the pellucid border but the former is dioecious,
the latter, monoecious. F. bryoides generally grows on ground while F.
minutulus is said to grow on rocks, but as I can not find a single male
flower in your specims. I think it is F. minutulus in spite of its place of
growth. The male flowers are generally plenty and axillary in F. bryoides, by
which, with its rather larger size, I separte it from F. minutulus. The little F. exiguus was collected in Schoharie and sent me by Miss
R. Waterbury. My remark concerning it was made because I thought she might
have sent you specms. under the erroneous name. I first gave it for her. I
put the bit with your specimens that in case she had done so you might see to
what I referred. I send a label for it, if there is enough of it to make a
specm. Also a bit of F. bryoides. Very truly yours Charles H. Peck Judge G. W. Clinton Recd Dec. 22 |
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