probably to be attributed to mistaken identifications. The study 
of Jamaica orchids b on. Wm. Fawcett, late Director of Public 
Gardens and Plantations, and by Mr, A. B. Rendle, Keeper of 
the Botanical Collections of the British Museum, now nearin 
completion, will be of great assistance in this investigation, its 
publication by the trustees of the British Museum being antici- 
pated within a few months. The annotated catalogue of Jamaica 
plants prepared by me in cooperation with Mr. Wm. Harris is 
completed as a rough draft, and I took a copy of this with me, 
for use in England, but I should now prefer that some additional 
exploration be accomplished before it is published. 
Our studies on the vast flora of Cuba can only be regarded as 
begun and much field work must be done there before even an 
approximate knowledge of its plants and of their occurrence and 
distribution can be obtained. r, D. O. Mills, president of the 
Board of Managers, by a liberal gift to our Exploration Fund, 
has made it possible to continue exploration there, and I have 
sent Dr. J. A. Shafer as a collector for six months to the northern 
part of Oriente Province. 
Studies in the botanical library of the British Museum and in 
that of the Royal Gardens, Kew, emphasized the desirability of 
increasing our library as rapidly as available funds, and of oppor- 
tunities for the purchase of books, will permit ; I have brought 
this subject to attention repeatedly and we have made, on the 
whole, satisfactory progress in building up a large collection of 
books, but there is still! much to be done and many volumes are 
becoming scarcer and scarcer. 
The out-of-door collections of living plants at Kew were, as 
always, of wonderful interest and beauty. The equable tempera- 
tures and consecutive rainfall make possible the growth of several 
thousand species which cannot endure our climate at all, or will 
gr only under cultural conditions requiring at present pro- 
hibitive expense. I observed many of these for the first time, 
especially natives of warm temperate regions. Visitors have 
unrestricted access to nearly all parts of the grounds and depre- 
dations and disorderly conduct are prevented and discouraged by 
a large force of constables continuously on duty, one or more of 
