First Flowering of some Plants near Croydon. 155 



plan of wallts, which should include localities for all the plants 

 to be noted, should make his rounds of observation every day, 

 wet or dry, unhindered by any cause whatever. Unfortunately 

 there are few such observers, and I am certainly not one of them, 

 even though I have been aided by more than one kind and com- 

 petent helper. We can therefore only hope for an approximation 

 to the date when the first celandine expanded its petals in early 

 spring on some sunny bank near Croydon ; or when, in May or 

 June, the first wild rose was noticed in the old Chalk quarry on 

 Park Hill, or other sheltered spot. 



As regards the range of dates between early and late years, 

 members will notice that, as might be expected, it is considerably 

 greater in early spring than in summer or autumn. Thus, there 

 is a difference of more than two months between the earliest 

 recorded flowering of the hazel, in December, 1881, and the 

 latest in February, 1880. So, too, in regard to the dog's mercury, 

 coltsfoot, and other plants. In the case of the lesser celandine, 

 the difference is even greater. In 1881 it was observed in flower 

 on December 31st, and in 1887, not until April 2nd. The 

 average date of the first flowering of this plant, reckoning for 

 the eight years over which the observations extend, is February 

 24th. As the year advances the flowers become more constant 

 in their times of openmg. For instance, there is little more than 

 a month between the first recorded flowering of the hawthorn, 

 on April 15th, 1882, a very forward year, and that in 1887, a 

 typically backward year, when it was not gathered till May 19th ; 

 whilst in the case of the wild rose the difference is barely three 

 weeks, between May 29th, in 1882, and June 18th, in 1887. 

 The variation will be found to be even less in the flowers 

 expanding at the end of June, or in July : though there are a 

 few marked exceptions, an explanation to which will no doubt 

 be found by continuing the records for a longer period. So far 

 as my experience goes, the common field thistle seems to be one 

 of the most constant plants amongst those noticed. Its first 

 flowering has not varied more than a day in three of the recorded 

 years, nor more than two days in the other five. July 1st is its 

 average date of flowering. 



I may add that the flowers noticed are seventy-seven in 

 number, namely, sixty-six wild flowers, and eleven cultivated 

 shrubs and other plants ; and that they are arranged in the 

 chronological order of their earliest average coming into flower, 

 from the hazel on January 21st to the ivy on September 19th. 



Most of the plants are those selected by the Royal Meteoro- 

 logical Society as most likely to afford useful results, a few not 

 common near Croydon having been omitted. The first two 

 columns in the list give the Latin and English names of the 

 several plants. Then follow the recorded dates of first flowering 



