5?4 [Proc. B.N.F.C., 



vegetation, and the various classifications of native and non-native 

 plants which had been proposed, Mr. Praeger said the definition 

 of a native species employed by Dunn in his " Alien Flora of 

 Britain " requires us to ask three questions relating to the species 

 under consideration. 



(i.) Have the ancestors of it been in the district since 



pre-historic times ? 

 (2.) Did it reach its present habitat without the aid 



(cither intentional or accidental) of man ? 

 (3.) Is it living on ground which has been undisturbed 



by man ? 



If we can answer these three questions in the affirmative, we 

 may, according to Mr. Praeger's formula, regard the standing of 

 the species as NNN in whatever area we may be considering. On 

 the other hand, the standing of an alien plant, brought from a 

 cornfield, into which it was transported with seed by man, and 

 planted in cultivated ground is regarded as ***. Between these 

 two extremes we have six combinations of N and *. Thus the 

 standing of a plant which has spread from a lake such as Lough 

 Neagh into an artificial waterway such as the Lagan Canal changes 

 from NNN in the lake to NN* in the canal. And again one 

 brought by man from Lough Neagh where it was NNN and 

 placed in an artificial pond becomes N**. An alien which in a 

 garden would be "***, becomes similarly *NN, if it spreads by its 

 own powers to undisturbed ground ; or it becomes *N* if it 

 spreads to cultivated ground. 



In conclusion, Mr. Praeger pointed out that only those plants 

 whose standing in any district can be regarded as NNN or NN* 

 may be considered for general purposes to be " Native." 



The last meeting was held on the 5th March, when the 

 Chairman of the Section (Rev. C. H. Waddell, B.D.) gave a very 

 interesting lecture on " British Violets and Pansies." After 

 pointing out their general character and history, the lecturer went 



