ON THE DISAPPEARANCE OF NATIVE PLANTS. 465 
Third Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. A. W. WILLS 
(Chairman), Mr. E. W. BapGer, Mr. G. CLARIDGE Druce, and 
Professor HILLHousE, for the purpose of collecting information 
as to the Disappearance of Native Plants from their Local 
Habitats. Drawn wp by Professor HiLLHousE, Secretary. 
In compiling the present Report the Committee has confined its atter- 
tion mainly to the north of England and the Isle of Man, adding, how- 
ever, a few memoranda having reference to South Wales, these latter 
being interesting in view of the visit of the Association to Cardiff in 
1891. In preparing the following list the Committee has been guided 
by the same rules as in former reports, only deviating from them for the 
purpose of including some case likely to be of special interest to botanists, 
such as Nos. 23, 54, 1,026, 1,063, 1,091, 1,169, and 1,652. The number- 
ing and nomenclature are those of the ‘ London Cataiogue,’ ed. 8, cor- 
rected reprint of 1890. 
In the collection of the Yorkshire records the Committee has to 
express its great indebtedness to the active assistance of an influential 
local committee formed by the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union, Mr. Charles 
P. Hobkirk being chairman. This local. committee apparently experi- 
enced a like difficulty to ourselves in inducing local botanists to take the 
needful trouble in order to send in reports. Less than 10 per cent. of 
our own circulars elicit a reply, and the Committee therefore feels bound 
to commend to the notice of the secretaries of local societies the example 
of one such, who, having sent on the circular to the botanical recorder of 
his society, and being informed that the latter wouldn’t ‘bother’ to 
answer the questions, considered that it was ‘ only fair’ to his society to 
make a report, and therefore compiled one for himself. 
As in the last Report, the partial or complete extirpation of ferns. 
forms a considerable proportion of the lists of the Committee’s correspond- 
ents, the tourist in part, but in greater degree the ‘collecting dealer,’ 
being held responsible. The Committee particularly regrets also to 
have to draw attention to the rapidly approaching extermination of 
Cypripedium Calceolus, and hopes that strenuous efforts will be made to 
protect it in its few remaining stations. 
It is grievous to every lover of plants to read the accounts received 
from all quarters of the ruthless stripping of every accessible station of 
its floral treasures. While it is hardly practicable, or even desirable, to 
seriously interfere with the wish of the tourist to gather for himself some 
living memento of a pleasurable visit (however much it may be felt that 
there are better ways of obtaining possession of the plants than this), the 
various correspondents are practically unanimous in expressing a wish 
that in some way the law of trespass or of wilful damage should be 
brought to bear upon the collecting dealer, without the systematic 
ravages of whom they believe that any approach to extermination would 
in most cases be impossible. 
3. Thalictrum minus, L, S. Wales; formerly abundant at Giltar, near 
Tenby, now almost extinct (F. W.). 
[23. Ranunculus sceleratus, L. S. Wales; a case of extending distri- 
bution, a large crop having sprung up in a marsh near Tenby within the 
last four years (F. W.).] : 
1890. HH 
