400 A SKETCH OF BOTANICAL INVESTIGATION IN MIDDLESEX. 



London, and is dedicated to J. Forbes Young, Esq., M.D.* The author 

 regrets (in the preface) that he had given little attention to our county, and 

 the lists for Middlesex (pp. 98-115) are compilations; a star is affixed to 

 the plants Cooper had himself seen, and from this indication it appears 

 that the only parts of the county he had visited, were Grreenford, Fulham, 

 Highgate, and Hampstead. Authorities, however, are generally quoted, and 

 we also find the names of the following contributors : James Carter, W. 

 Chatterley, W. Cullen, Miss Crawler, J. L. Growler, W. Lloyd, Mrs. Lowe, 

 T. W. Mann, and Dr. James Mitchell. A Sii'p'plement ' containing many 

 additional localities procured last summer,' appeared in 1837. The Mid- 

 dlesex additions are few (pp. 11 and 12); they were all contributed by 

 E. H. Button, G. E. Dennes, and Gr. Francis. Though at the time perhaps 

 a useful publication, the Flora MetropoUtana must be considered as one of 

 the least trustworthy books of its class. The errors contained in it are 

 numerous, but seem to be due less to faulty observation on the part of the 

 author, than to want of judgment in entering the information received from 

 others or extracted from books. 



In 1860 the Eev. W. M. Hind, now incumbent of Pinner, published in 

 the Harrow Gazette, for January 16 and February 3, a list of plants 

 growing about the town. These papers were reprinted in the Fhyto- 

 logist for 1860 {N. S. vol. iv. pp. 107-119), under the title, ' The Flora of 

 Harrow and its vicinity ; ' the list contains 385 species and varieties. In 

 vol. V. (1861) of the same periodical (pp. 198-204), Mr. Hind added 162 

 more plants, and corrected a few errors. In all, he contributed fifteen 

 unrecorded species to our Flora, Carex axillaris being the most interesting. 



Mr. J. C. Melvill's Flora of Harrow came out in 1864-. This interesting 

 little book, which contains also lists of the Birds and Lepidoptera of the 

 district, was ' entirely drawn up by Harrow boys.' The Flora is founded 

 on Mr. Hind's lists, but by the further researches of Mr. Melvill the 

 number of species is increased to 568, and 49 varieties are njentioned. The 

 Rev. F. W. Farrar, of Harrow School, wrote the preface, and continues to 

 foster a taste for natural science in the school. In connection with the 

 Harrow Flora we have consulted the prize herbarium collected by its author, 

 and now preserved in the school library at Harrow : this has in several 

 cases served to clear up difficiilties. 



Nothing further, that we know of, has been published, beyond isolated 

 notes in the journals. Those botanists who have contributed information 

 in other ways are enumerated in another place, and their observations, 

 with our own, which extend over the past nine years, form with the pub- 

 lished records all that is known of the local botany of Middlesex. 



* Dr. Young's herbarium of British plants is now at Kew. It contains many specimens 

 collected in MdcUesex between 1833 and 1844 by Dr. Young, Mr. Cooper, Henry Kingslej', 

 Dr. McCieight, J. Taylor, and others. 



