Proceedings. , xix 
F. Campbell-Bayard (President), who kindly offered tea on the occasion 
of the Beddington and Carshalton excursion; to the Rectors of Bed- 
dington, Carshalton, and Worth, and the Secretary of the Royal 
Female Orphan Asylum, Beddington, for kindly giving to the Com- 
mittee permission to visit the buildings under their charge. 
BoranicaL CoMMITTEE. 
During 1903 the Botanical Committee have held sectional meetings, 
Saturday afternoon and Thursday evening excursions. The investi- 
gation of the flora of the commons near Croydon has been continued, 
and botanical specimens have been exhibited at the Society’s meetings 
and at the Soirée. (See p. xvii.) 
On Thursday, March 26th, a joint meeting of the Botanical and 
Microscopical Sections was held. Microscopic plants were the subject 
of a talk opened by Dr. Parsons, and illustrated by living and mounted 
specimens shown under the microscopes. 
On Thursday, April 13th, the Society’s herbarium was on view. 
Surrey specimens were exhibited and added to the collection. 
Saturday afternoon excursions were made on :— 
April 18th to Kew Gardens. (See p. x1.) 
September 12th to Addington Park. Fungus Hunt. (See p. xv.) 
The excursion on Whit-Monday, June 1st, was also of botanical 
interest. (See p. xii.) 
On May 21st, under the leadership of Dr. Parsons, a visit was paid, 
by kind permission of C. H. Goschen, Esq., to Thrift Wood, near 
South Croydon. Thrift Wood is on the chalk, with a loamy or clayey 
top-soil, as in the lower part of Croham Hurst near by, and the flora 
is generally similar. The primrose, however, which is now almost if 
not quite exterminated at Croham Hurst, is still very abundant in 
Thrift Wood, and the following plants were observed there which have 
not of late years at least been found at Croham Hurst, viz. Orchis 
mascula and maculata, Habenaria chloroleuca (butterfly orchis), 
Lithospermum officinale (gromwell), Cnicus palustris (marsh thistle), 
and Hypericum montanwm (found last year in the old chalk-pit by 
Croham Lane). The only fungus observed was Leuzites betulina, 
fungi being scarce this spring, in spite oi the wetness of the season. 
The oak was in full leaf, and nightingales were heard in song. 
The second ramble, under the guidance of Mr. J. E. Clark, B.A., 
B.Se., took place on June 18th to Mr. Cochrane’s British Botanic 
Garden, Perry Hill, 8.K. In all, a party of nearly twenty paid a most 
interesting visit to this spot, actually within one of the London 
boroughs, where Mr. Cochrane, a working gardener, cultivates some 
_ eight hundred British species of flowering plants with signal success. 
He has managed to afford many of them a natural soil. The hillocks 
on which were chalk flora and heath flora were good illustrations of 
_ this. This garden would at any time be a source of pleasure to those 
interested in our native flowers. Mr. Cochrane is very glad to supply 
_ fresh flowers to schools or others for botanical purposes. 
The third ramble was on July 16th to Purley Downs. Mr. J. E. 
Clark, B.A., B.Se., conducted. The stormy evening reduced our 
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