115 



cultivated or drained in any way. A series of articles is being 

 issued, dealing with the natural history of the various groups of 

 animals and plants which the Fen contains, the series when com- 

 pleted to form a volume. The publishers' announcement of this 

 publication contains the following statement : 



There has been no destruction of its natural vegetation and fauna, and 

 there has been no introduction of new plants and animals. While much of 

 it is dry and produces crops of reed, sedges and rough herbage, all of it 

 is subject to winter floods. Indeed the greater part of it is in almost the 

 same condition as it must have been before any drainage of the Fens took 

 place. There has been no break of continuity, its present stock of animals 

 and plants being the direct descendant of the original stock. 



Wicken Fen is now the only large area of Fen Land in its natural condi- 

 tion, and on acccount of this its flora and fauna and their relationship to 

 one another and to fen conditions are of peculiar interest. It is now pro- 

 posed to publish a series of parts the whole forming a single volume, in 

 which shall be recorded its present condition, leaving to subsequent genera- 

 tions to ascertain the changes which take place under natural conditions. 



The conservation of such areas by Government cannot be too 

 highly commended, and the case of the Wicken Fens suggests 

 the rare opportunity which still exists for conserving in its natural 

 condition a portion of the Flempstead Plains on Long Island. As 

 is well known to scientists, this area constitutes the only case of a 

 natural prairie in North America, with the -exception of the 

 great prairie region of the West. The Plain is rapidly being en- 

 croached upon by building operations and other activities of civili- 

 zation, but there are still many acres affording an area sufficiently 

 large to continue to maintain itself in a state of nature, provided 

 the movement toward this end is not too long delayed. 



Forest Conservation in Africa.— The disappearance of protec- 

 tive forests in the Uganda Protectorate and the need of forest 

 preservation is set forth in the " Annual Report on the Forestry 

 Department for the year 1921," pages 14-15. as follows: 



The fact that so small a percentage of the Protectorate is under forest 

 makes it most important that the forests should be carefully protected, 

 their resources conserved and utilised to the very best advantage, and 

 attention to sylvicultural requirements with the object of improving them, 

 and the advisability of extending the area under forest are of the greatest 

 importance to ensure permanent and increased supplies, and it is essential 



