PREFACE. 



The object of this book is to give a complete and accurate 

 catalogue of tlie plants wliiclL have at any time been recorded 

 to grow in Middlesex, either as natives or in a more or less 

 completely naturalised state, to indicate the special localities 

 where they have been found, and to trace the history of their 

 discovery. The existence of many of these is attested only by 

 records in scarce or little-known books, or by the original 

 specimens preserved in old collections. As the amount of 

 material relatinp^ to the subject is very large, much of our 

 work has consisted in collecting and reducing into order the 

 widely scattered records ; and in this, though we cannot hope 

 to have avoided all error, we hope that no blunders of magni- 

 tude have been committed or important facts overlooked. 



The Cryptogamia — with the exception of the Perns and their 

 allies — have, from want of material, been much less fully 

 treated ; lists of some of the Orders are given in the Appendix, 

 but the Algfe and lower Fungi have been entirely omitted. 

 It is hoped that those who have made a special study of these 

 2)lants will be induced to publish something more complete. 



The history of the earliest labourers in any scientific field 

 has an exceptional interest. We who succeed to their labours 

 cannot fail to appreciate the intelhgence of men who, at a 

 time with no past example, and little encouragement, laid the 

 foundations of so much of our present knowledge. The 

 Historical Sketch on pp. 3G3 — 400, drawn up partly from 



