PREFACE. 



This work is not put forward as a completed Flora 

 of the Lake District. I have never lived within its 

 boundaries, but when I belonged to Yorkshire, now 

 twenty years ago, and was engaged upon ' North York- 

 shire ' and the ' New Flora of Northumberland and 

 Durham,' I several times visited the Lakes and made 

 notes upon the plants and their range in altitude, and 

 spent the wet days in codifying the widely-scattered 

 records of my forerunners in the botanical exploration 

 of the district. My collection of notes has been from 

 time to time lent to various botanical friends who have 

 visited it, and they have entered into the books their 

 own observations, and the Rev. W. W. Newbould has 

 given me his ever-ready help in copying out at the 

 British Museum the stations from some of the books 

 to which I could not get access elsewhere. Lately, in 

 editing the catalogue of species for Westmoreland and 

 Cumberland for the new edition of Watson's ' Topo- 

 graphical Botany,' and reading the detailed diary by 

 Mr. Watson of his excursions in 1835, from Keswick, 

 Kendal, and Shap, which has come into my hands as 

 his executor, my interest in the subject has been 

 revived, and as it does not seem likely at present to 

 stand in the way of anything more complete, I have 

 thought it best to publish my collection of notes as 

 they stand, especially as the local Societies are now 



