Feb. 1903.] BOTANIC.A.L SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 275 



counties immediately adjoining the central town, or some 

 former territorial division (still retained in popular use, 

 though no longer corresponding with existing geographical 

 divisions), or the river basin, is the region to be investi- 

 gated. To the teachers it is of especial importance to 

 learn what materials for nature-study are within reach, 

 and the books or lists of most use to them are likely to 

 be those that indicate distribution by parishes. But as 

 parishes are seldom natural areas, and as it is desirable 

 that records, whether of field work or when published, 

 should be in form to permit of these latter areas also 

 being recognised, it is necessary to combine the two sets 

 of divisions. I have found that, by making use of the 

 parish boundaries and watersheds of streams, along w'ith 

 local features, such as coast, lochs, lowland, and hill, it 

 becomes possible to obtain areas of a relatively small size, 

 with somewhat uniform characters throughout each, and 

 that, with these as units, the distribution of species is well 

 shown, whether frequent, local, or rare, by natural divisions, 

 or by parishes and counties. By preparing maps of the 

 species-distribution also, the record would be rendered very 

 much more complete than has yet been accomplished in 

 any published work on the flora or fauna of Scotland. 

 From such local records a "' Topographical Botany " of all 

 Scotland could be prepared that would be found of very 

 great value by our successors. Their preparation requires 

 only industry, care, and accuracy, the critical species being 

 submitted to experts for their verdicts. 



Briefly summarising the views stated above, they express 

 these conclusions : — 



Much requires to be done before a complete account can 

 be given of the flora of Scotland. The preparation for this 

 demands the labour of many local botanists, each doing the 

 work for a district around his home, or within so easy 

 access as to permit of frequent visits. The local work 

 done by them, and the general work resulting from their 

 collaboration, should rest on the investigation of areas so 

 planned as to be combined at will into parishes, counties, 

 or natural districts, and such in size and in relation to 

 environments as to show accurately the distribution as a 

 whole, and any peculiarities of a noteworthy kind. For 



