PREFACE. ifi 



shonld be referred to of which the material obtained may be 

 insufficient to put their identification entirely beyond doubt. 

 Specimens of twigs with buds and leaves can, by thorough 

 examination of their stipules, venation, 1 and anatomy in 

 oomparison with known species, be usually quite correctly 

 referred to their families, genera or even species. A very few 

 of the species in this flora have had to be determined 2 solely 

 from such material, but in such cases, either a (?) ha* been 

 appended to the name, or the facts have been stated. 



The books which have been most frequently consulted are 

 " The Flora of British India " and Prain's " Bengal Plants." 

 Much use has also been made of Wood's Plants of Chutia 

 Nagpur (Records of the Botanical Survey of India) and of 

 Campbell's Descriptive Catalogue (prepared for the Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition in 1886). A list of the principal works 

 referred to will be found on p. vi. The writer's thanks are 

 specially due to Mr. Mclntire, Conservator of Forests, Bengal, 

 without whose encouragement and help in the first instance 

 the flora could not have been undertaken. Mr. Haslett, 

 Bengal Forest Department, has rendered very great assistance 

 in the collection of specimens, and in furnishing their 

 Kharwari names, for most of which he is responsible. To 

 him, Mr. Mee, and Mr. Modder the writer's thanks are also 

 due for marking down and subsequently collecting several 

 species which were not in flower or fruit at the time of 

 observation. This aid was most valuable in the Santal Par- 

 ganahs' tour which was undertaken at the worst time of year 

 for obtaining complete specimens. Thanks are also due to 

 Mr. Grieve, Mr. Kirkpatrick and Babu Sunder Singh for 

 specimens. To Colonel Prain, CLE., formerly Director of 

 the Botanical Survey of India, and to his successor, Major 

 Gage, the writer is greatly indebted for their generous 



1 M. Laurent on p. 331 of the Progressus Bei Botanicae, Vol. I, 

 remarks that " Lea botanistes ne considerent pas assez les feuilles dan* 

 ieur derniere trame." 



2 Mr. N. E. Brown of Rew kindly determined for the writer an 

 Axietolochia from the twigs and leaves alone. Subsequent oomparison 

 with other specimens ehowod the determination to be perfectly correct. 



