PREFACE. 



An apology is necessary for the sub-title of this book, as large groups 

 of plants of which vcr\ lit * 1.- is knnun in Bihar and Orissa, viz. the 

 alga; (including Characeae), fungi and Muscinece, have not been touched 

 upon. Among the higher plants very much still remains to be done 



of a forest officer in India leave so little time for the pursuit of botany 

 that not only have interesting plants been frequently observed which 

 there has been no time to collect, but often specimens collected have 



tuniU for examination .1 drying In -.mm ises. .-.-.pe.-ialh ",, m\ 

 only visits to special localities, such as the Mayurbhanj Mountains 

 and the Orissa delta, the quantity of drying paper carried has proved 

 insufficient to cope with the new material. Finally, some districts, 

 including many of the native states, have not been botanized at all. 

 There is, therefore, plenty of even ordinary field work remaining to 

 be done by those who take an interest in the natural history of plants, 

 and for anyone with a settled residence and a garden, where doubtful 

 species and varieties could be cultivated and watched, the Meld is 

 practically unworked. Perhaps the largest collector of herbs in the 

 province has been C. B. Clarke, who, in addition to good specimens, 

 has frequently supplied accurate drawings and valuable notes. Clarke 

 collected chiefly (so far as our province is concerned) in Chota Nagpur. 

 He more especially appears to have turned his attention to the rice 

 field flora. Next to Clarke in the extent of his collections in the 

 province was the distingui-! n- Hamilton. In 



1801-02 he went ,1 through Saran 



and Tirhut to Nepal.f but of more importance than this was his long 

 residence in our Northern tract, commencing in 1809 and continuing 

 with short breaks to 1812-13, during which time he was engaged in 

 the statistical survey of Purneah. lihatralpur (as it then was), Monghir 

 (or Monghyr, Mungger of his MS.), Patna and Shahabad. The 

 which include woody plants as 



