224 MUSEUM NOTES. 



I trust that if not by any means a model collection, it will at 

 any rate form a portion of the Essex Herbarium in the new 

 " Essex Count}' Museum of Natural History," which we hope 

 will very soon be, if the last, not the least of our Essex 

 Institutions. 



J. C. Shhnstone. 

 Colchestev, Fchrmwy, 1899. 



III.- NOTES ON A SMALL ESSEX LIERBARWM. 



By a series of happy circumstances the collection of dried 

 plants made by the late Miss Doubleday, of Halstead, in this 

 county, recently fell into my hands. An interesting feature of 

 these well-cared for specimens is that many of them are of local 

 origin, and a number of those from Epping are from the Her- 

 barium of, or procured by, the late John Ray, of Epping — not the 

 celebrated Essex naturalist of that name, but a collector of whom 

 little is known, but that he lived a century and a half later'- 



Professor Boulger and I went most carefully through the 

 collection, and picked out all the Essex specimens (in number 

 200, of which 151 are marked as having been collected by 

 "J. Ray," nearly all in the Epping Forest district). I have had 

 pleasure in putting them at Mr. Cole's disposal. 



One is tempted to mention a peculiarity about the sheets 

 upon which the plants, including those collected by J. Ray, are 

 mounted. They have originally been most carefully inscribed 

 with the name, locality, and date, down to the day of the month, 

 upon which they were collected. On looking at them, however, 

 it will be noticed that in every case the year has been scratched 

 out most neatly, but yet effectually, and e\ en when John Ray's 

 label had been stuck on the paper, this has been treated in the 

 same way. Only two dates (1841 and 1842), on loose labels of 

 the latter kind have not shared the fate that befell the many 

 hundreds of their fellows. I forbear from any comment upon 

 the subject. Until these survivors among the numbers were 

 found, we could only roughly judge of the date of the collection 

 by the water-marks on the paper that indicated 1840. 



Wilfred Mark Webb. 

 Haminersmith, October, 1899. 



I We lieivebeen unablu to obtain any particulars of J. Ray, of Epping, beyond the reference 

 in Gibson's Flora, to the following effect:— "J. R... Ray, John, formerly of Epping— List of 

 plants near Epping, mostly included in H. Doubleday's list." We shall be glad to have any 

 further information.— Ed. 



