Natural History. 3 



much thought, and some consultation with others interested in 

 the matter, is a purely arbitrary one, like that of the late Profes- 

 sor Babington's Flora of Cambridgeshire^ for the peculiar physical 

 features of Lincolnshire, with its 500,000 acres of fenland and 

 low hills, admit of no other. With a very few exceptions all 

 the natural history records yet published are on the parish basis ; 

 taking the larger towns as far as possible as centres the parishes 

 have been aggregated round them into divisions, always keeping 

 in view two points, (i) the work already done, and (2) railway 

 communication for future observation. The Watsonian Vice- 

 Counties, N. Lines. 54 or N. and S. Lines. 53 or S., have been 

 left inta6l, clearly separated as they are by the river Witham 

 from Boston to Lincoln, and by the Foss Dyke from Lincoln 

 to the border of Nottingham. The modern course of these 

 streams is the line of demarcation ; and as both cut through one 

 or more parishes on their way from the cathedral city to their 

 outfalls in the Wash and river Trent, these parishes have both a N. 

 and S. Vice-county number. This is also the case with parishes 

 scattered in departments referred to below. In making notes in 

 divided or scattered parishes it is an easy matter to remember 

 whether the Witham or Foss Dyke is to the north or south of 

 the place of observation. As N. contains more than three-fifths 

 of the county, and as S. is almost one-half unwooded fen-land, 

 which has been so greatly changed in fauna and flora by drainage 

 and high farming during the last hundred years, I have given 

 N. a double share of Divisions, which are therefore smaller for 

 the most part than those of S. They are shown by black 

 lines, names, and numbers on the map, and are named as follows : 



NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE, 54. 



I. Isle of Axholme. 7. Market Rasen. 



2. Winterton and Broughton. 8. - Louth. 



3. Barton and Caistor. 9. Saltfleet (Littoral). 



4. Great Grimsby. lo. Horncastle and West Fen. 



5.- Kirton and Gainsborough. n. - Alford and Burgh. 



6. Lincoln (North). 12. Boston and East Fen. 



SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE, 53. 



13. Lincoln (South). 1 6. Bourn and Stamford. 



14.. Sleaford. I 7- Swineshead and Donington. 



15. Grantham. 18. Spalding and Holbeach. 



The numbers indicate which vice-county a record refers to 

 without the constant use of N. and S. 



MAPS. 

 The best Map for field work is the index map to the six- 



