HEETFORDSniRE NATUEAL HISTOET SOCIETT. 



xlvii 



in oarryinp: mit the terms of the bequest, etc., leaving £48 lis. 

 towards the future preservation of the collection. 



As this bequest was preceded in 1880 by the donation to the 

 Society of the late Kev. R. H. Webb's botanical library and 

 herbaritini, so it has been followed in 1882 by another valuaV)le and 

 similar donation. Mr. Isaac Brown, who, when residing at Hitchin, 

 was a frequent correspondent of Messrs. Coleman and Webb, and 

 furnished them with notices of the occurrence in his neighbourhood 

 of many species of plants, as recorded in their ' Flora Hertford- 

 iensis,' has presented to the Society his herbarium and botanical 

 library. The lierbariuin is an extensive one, and is especially rich 

 in cryptogamic plants. The library consists of about 90 volumes, 

 most of which are local floras and works on cryptogamic botany. 

 The donation will probably be of great assistance in the compilation 

 of a Cryptogamic Flora of the county, the publication of which may 

 follow, at no long interval, that of the late Mr. Pryor's ' Flora of 

 Hertfordshire' now being edited for the Society by Mr. James 

 Britten, F.L.S. 



Owing to these various donations the extent of the library has been 

 so greatly increased since the publication of the catalogue in 1878, 

 and supplementary catalogue in 1880, that these are now rendered 

 almost useless, and it has been decided to prepare and publish 

 a new catalogue. The great preponderance also of botanical works 

 has induced the Council to authorise the expenditure during the 

 year of £15 in the purchase of books chiefly treating of other 

 branches of science, in addition to the usual subscriptions to 

 periodical works, and it is hoped that the new catalogue will show 

 that the amount has been judiciously expended. "With the excep- 

 tion of Darwin's works, which are chiefly botanical, and a few books 

 on geology, nearly all the books purchased are on zoology and 

 microscopy, subjects in which the library has hitherto been very 

 deficient. 



The gi-eat difficulty at the present time is the want of sufficient 

 accommodation both for the books and the botanical specimens in 

 the possession of the Society. With the present extent of the 

 "Watford Public Library the Council cannot expect more accommo- 

 dation to be provided, but it is hoped that before long the building 

 may be considerably enlarged, and that one or two spacious and 

 well-lighted rooms may be devoted to the exhibition of a collection 

 of local natural objects and local antiquities — a collection which 

 shall consist exclusively of objects found within the County of 

 Hertford. When an extension of the building for this and other 

 pui-poses is decided on by the Public Library Committee, the 

 necessary funds will have to be provided by voluntary contribu- 

 tions, and in the carrying- out of a scheme which may greatly 

 benefit the Society it is hoped that the members will largely 

 contribute. 



The finances of the Society are in a very satisfactory condition. 

 The expenditure during the year almost exactly balances the ordinary 

 receipts, £117 55. lOd. having been expended and £117 12s. 7d. 



