INTRODUCTORY. 1 7 



to them, and from one or two isolated private collections like 

 those of Mr. Wm. Whitwell, F.L.S., of London (formerly 

 of York), we have the only real vouchers that we can obtain 

 for our records, but these, though comparatively few in 

 number, are good and reliable. Not till 1885, so far as we 

 are aware, were any adequate collections begun. Since 

 then, however, several herbaria have been got together by 

 members of the Hull Scientific and Field Naturalists' Club, 

 and these, we modestly claim, are the best foundation upon 

 which the sequel is built, and means will be taken therein to 

 indicate the existence of the necessary vouchers. {See Plan 

 of Flora, infra). 



The herbaria just referred to are still in private hands, 

 their various collectors being Mr. Charles Waterfall, of 

 10, De Grey Street, Hull, a botanist of many years 

 standing. His collection is in reality for the whole of 

 Britain, and few of the species found in Britain are wanting 

 in it, so assiduously has its keeper worked at botanical 

 classification. Mr. Waterfall has collected for ten years 

 in the East Riding. Another collector and most admirable 

 preserver of plants is Mr. J. W. Boult, stonemason, of Hull, 

 better known, however, as an ardent entomologist. His 

 herbarium gives a total of above five hundred plants, with 

 few exceptions, all of East Riding growth. 



The writer's own collection, made in, and specially for, 

 the East Riding, was commenced in the year 1885, and con- 

 tains, gathered by his own hands during those frequent 

 intervals from teaching that fall to the schoolmaster's lot, 

 vouchers for the great majority of the species that are spoken 

 of as general in "The Flora," or have the asterisk (*) after 

 them. 



Both of the bibliography and the collection of dried 

 plants it may be remarked that the amount is, after all, very 

 trifling ; and this cannot be denied. But at the preserit stage 

 we have said as much as we possibly can. Should some of 

 the foregoing appear lacking in relevancy, it may be stated 

 that we preferred doing justice to all who, we could conceive, 

 had helped in any degree to forward botanical knowledge, 

 rather than deny to several any share whatever in the work. 



