EI MR. C. B. CLARKE ON THE 
At the end of the paper, as an inference more particularly 
from the distribution of the genus Carex, there is ventured some 
speeulation upon the components of the existing Flora of British 
India and their successive entry into and route within the 
Empire. 
India has been regarded as a botanic subarea of the globe; 
the Empire is not the most natural region that could be devised ; 
it is convenient as a subarea of reference, especially now that 
Sir J. D. Hooker’s * Flora of British India’ is completed. The 
next step, both towards the geographic and economic study of 
the Flora, is the subdivision of India into convenient sub- 
subareas; for each of these subsubareas a local Flora of manage- 
able size may be written, and the distribution of species in India 
may be more precisely indicated by “ tabulating " on these sub- 
subareas by way of reference. The Floras of Ceylon and of the 
Malay Peninsula have now been carried so far that the areas 
included in these Floras must be taken as two of the sub- 
subareas. 
I commenced work on this subdivision of India about two 
years ago; having formed my subsubareas (in which I have 
had the benefit of the advice of Mr. Hemsley, Sir G. King, 
Mr. Gamble, Dr. Prain, and others), I proceeded to test them 
in practice by tabulating on them an Order of considerable size. 
I think it is only by working the subsubareas with large 
numbers of plants that any safe conclusions can be come to 
regarding their convenience. I selected the Order Ranuncu- 
lace® ; but, after collecting the literature, I found that, to make 
the test of any value, it would be necessary to revise critically 
the whole material. I was quite unable to undertake this (in 
addition to other botanic work in hand), and threw aside the 
papers. Some time after, it occurred to me that I might test my 
subsubareas with the Order Cyperacex, by assuming all the 
determinations I have already made of Indian Cyperaces to 
be correct, and not referring to the plants at all. This I have 
here done; only citing the localities and numbers of collectors 
which IE had on my notes already. This, inter alia, causes Carex to 
be very scantily done as compared with the other genera ; because 
in working up Carex for the “Flora of British India” only the 
material at Kew and at the Linnean Society was employed. Bat, 
oing the work in this way, 7. e. merely copying from my own 
determinations, the present tabulation has occupied me about 
