29 



especially in those parts where the extension of agricultural 

 areas is now most rapid. 



While an early and intensive botanical exploration of the 

 less known parts of Malaya is an urgent necessity, what is of 

 still greater importance is the establishment of forest reserves. 

 These reserves should be selected and supervised for the definite 

 purpose of preserving to posterity the characteristic types of 

 primary forests characteristic of regions in which the reserves 

 are made. For this definite purpose extensive reserves are not 

 necessary, but they might be made in connection with larger 

 ones established for insuring a constant timber supply in those 

 regions now being opened up to settlement and in which the 

 primary forests are now rapidly being destroyed. Forest 

 reserves have been established in the Malay Peninsula and in 

 Java, and wherever possible these should be extended, rather 

 than restricted, and the general policy of establishing them 

 should be adopted as the more distant and at present more or 

 less inaccessible regions are opened to civilization. 



In securing botanical material from Borneo, without which 

 the preparation of this list would have been impracticable, I am 

 under special obligations to Major J. C. Moulton, formerly 

 Director of the Sarawak Museum, who very courteously super- 

 vised the work of various native collectors over a period of 

 several years employed on behalf of the Bureau of Science; 

 to Mrs. Mary Strong Clemens and Mr. D. LeRoy Topping for 

 presenting to the Herbarium of the Bureau of Science sets of 

 their Kinabalu collections; and to Mr. D. M. Matthews, Conser- 

 vator of Forests, British North Borneo, for encouraging the 

 employees of his Department in the collection and preparation 

 of botanical material. To Mr. Oakes Ames, North Easton, Mass., 

 U.S.A., I am indebted for his preparation of the list of 

 Orchidaceae, a group with which I am not very familiar. 

 Without the cordial support of Mr. I. H. Burkill, Director of the 

 Botanic Garden, Singapore, and Major J. C. Moulton, Director- 

 elect of the Raffles Museum in Singapore, and formerly Director 

 of the Sarawak Museum, publication of the present list would 

 not have been possible. Through their interest and support 

 arrangements were made whereby the Royal Asiatic Society, 

 Straits Branch, undertook the publication of the present work. 



In the following list specimens that I have actually 

 examined are indicated by an exclamation mark following the 

 collector's name or number; all other specimens cited have been 

 compiled from the literature examined. 



E. D. MERRILL. 

 MANILA, P. I. 



30th January, 1918. 



