MEMOIR OP RAY. 25 



rived from books. The only enumeration of British 

 plants that had been attempted was by William 

 Howe, in his Phytologia Britannica, published in 

 1650. But that work was too meagre and inaccu- 

 rate to be of much service, and the Pinax rerum 

 Bntannicarum of Merret, which professed to give 

 the history of every kingdom of nature, was equally 

 undeserving of commendation. Ray was therefore 

 obliged to rely on the contributions of his numerous 

 friends, and his own industry. He travelled through 

 the greater part of England and Wales, zealously 

 investigating the indigenous plants ; nor did he ne- 

 glect the opportunity which these excursions afford- 

 ed, of examining every thing that was new or interest- 

 ing either in nature or art. Local and general history, 

 traditions, antiquities, provincial language and man- 

 ners, occasionally shared his attention with the more 

 direct objects of his research. He kept a journal 

 of his proceedings, in which he recorded his observa- 

 tions, and inserted the localities of the rarer plants. 

 This curious production was published after his 

 death by Dr Derham, under the title of Itineraries. 

 In 1661 he made a journey into Scotland, accompa- 

 nied by his scientific friends Mr Willughby and Mr 

 Skippon, to examine the natural productions of that 

 country, which were even less known than those of 

 England. His route lay through Berwick, Dunbar, 

 and Edinburgh. On their way to the latter place, 

 the party visited the Bass Island, — a spot probably 

 of more interest to the ornithologist than almost any 



