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The work therefore has been chiefly done by three or four 
members who had previously given some attention to the Flora of 
the district. These members, however, live some miles apart from 
each other, so that each one has been left in a great measure to 
his own resources as joint excursions can seldom be held. 
The district which the members of the section have pretty closely 
examined may be described as ‘‘Whitehaven and the neighbour- 
hood,” which embraces the country about three miles to the north 
and six or seven miles to the south of the town, and inland to the 
water-shed of the hills. 
The tract of country within this area is very diversified in soil 
and situation, and consequently a good field for botanical research. 
It includes the sea cliffs from Harrington to Saint Bees and the 
beach southwards to Sellafield to the west ; the varied pastoral and 
arable land, the rivers and ponds, the moors and woods of the 
middle district; backed by the lakes and tarns, the hills and 
mountains to the east. 
Whilst this district has been more immediately under the notice 
of the members of the section, they have recorded the occurrence 
of any botanical rarity which they have met with in other parts 
of West Cumberland. Consequently the list of plants which they 
have compiled embraces some species which although so far have 
not been observed by them in the Whitehaven district, are entered 
in the catalogue as West Cumberland Plants. 
In order to give a general idea of the work done by the section, 
it may be observed that the whole number of plants found growing 
as natives or naturalized in the British Isles is 1601. This is the 
number arrived at by experienced botanists, as set forth in the 
London Catalogue of British Plants. It includes, however, many 
that differ so slightly from each other, that they may be considered 
as varieties of an original species. 
Dr. Hooker in his “Student’s Flora of the British Isles,” 
calculates the well defined species to be a little over 1200; and of 
this number about five hundred and fifty have been found in West 
Cumberland by members of the Botanical section. 
This number is however far from being the total quantity of 
