Phytogeographical Excursion in the British Isles. 5 
Committee accompanied the party during different portions of it, 
the local guides being in nearly every case those members who had 
carried out special studies on the vegetation visited. The present 
writer, who acted as general director of the tour, accompanied the 
party throughout. The number of the party varied between fourteen 
and twenty-two. The tour lasted four weeks, and a fifth week was 
spent at Portsmouth during the meeting of the British Association. 
The scheme of the Committee included an attempt to supply 
the foreign visitors with information designed to enable them to 
obtain the greatest possible result from the tour. In the first place 
a book was prepared, under the editorship of the present writer, 
giving a systematic account of the vegetation of the British Isles.' 
The sections dealing with the different types of vegetation were in 
nearly every case illustrated by descriptions of the areas to be 
visited on the excursion, written by members of the Committee 
who had studied these areas. A copy of the book was presented 
to each foreign member of the party. A pamphlet of 32 pages was 
also prepared, containing “ Descriptive Notes on the Topographical 
and Geological Features and on the Vegetation of the Route”’ 
written by the different local guides and containing full references 
to Types of British Vegetation and other relevant literature. Owing 
to great pressure of work involved in preparing the book and 
organising the excursion the editing of these “ Descriptive Notes” 
left something to be desired, and the notes were not all they might 
have been in the way of uniformity and completeness. Finally a 
“ Business Programme,” containing general information, a skeleton 
programme of the tour, with names of Hotels, times of trains, etc., 
a map of the route and a list of members of the party, was prepared, 
and this was certainly of great use. The departures from the 
programme indicated were very slight. 
Some permanent published record of the tour seems required, 
and an outline account of the doings of the party is subjoined. In 
the next number of this journal an account of the “ Floristic Results 
of the Excursion” by Mr. G. Claridge Druce will appear, and in 
subsequent numbers it is hoped to publish some impressions by 
various foreign members of the party. 
* Recently published by the Cambridge University Press under 
the title of Types of British Vegetation, Price 6/- net. 
