COLONIAL HERBARIUM. - 



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The greater portion of the time during the year has been 

 taken np in completing the 1st volume of " Natal Plants," and 

 commencing the 2nd volume, which will contain figures and 

 descriptions of grasses only. The second part completing the 

 first volume was issued in August, and the third volume, which 

 will be similar in character to the first, has been commenced, 

 but in consequence of the illness of the artist, and since then 

 on account of the war, not much progress has been made, eight 

 plates and descriptions only having been completed. It is 

 hoped that better progress will be made in the present year. 

 •Complaints having been made that the paper on which the 

 lithographs have been printed will not take paint, a change has 

 been made, and the paper on which the plates of the volume 

 now in course of preparation will be found quite suitable for 

 painting upon. In the early part of December the first part of 

 the second volume, containing 25 figures and descriptions of 

 Natal grasses, was published, and the second part will soon be 

 ready for the printer, all or nearly all the plates having been 

 finished. The descriptions have been taken almost entire from 

 the " Flora Capensis " by permission of the Director of Kew 

 Gardens. A little alteration has, however, been made in the 

 arrangement, so as to enable the description of the different 

 portions of the plant to be more easily distinguishable, and 

 localities where the species have been found has been added as 

 far as I have been able to obtain them. I regret that I have 

 not been able to give more copious notes as to the value of the 

 different species, but such information is very difficult to 

 obtain ; some correspondents have supplied a number of speci- 

 mens, and occasionally the native names have been given, but 

 these names are often very local and are not always reliable. 

 The whole of the figures in this part have been drawn by Miss 

 Lauth, my assistant in the Herbarium, who has given her best 

 attention to the subject and dissected each plant very carefully. 

 I have to thank the following gentlemen for kindly sending 

 specimens, most of which have been found very useful : — ■ 

 Messrs. T. J. St George, Maritzburg ; W. E. Green, late of 

 Dundee ; H. Mason, Durban ; G. Richards, Mooi River ; H. 

 Jenkinson, H. Swanfield, and G. W. Davies, all of Zululand. 



