XIV BOTANY OF SOCOTKA. 



first set of specimens, botanical, to go to the collection at Kew ; a set of botanical to go to the 

 British Museum. The remainder will be distributed variously. The publication of results is 

 a matter for consideration by the Committee. 



" In the foregoing report I have confined myself to a narrative of the proceedings of the 

 expedition. It is as yet too early to speak definitely of what the total results will be. But I 

 think I may safely say, from what I have learnt regarding the birds from Mr Sclater, and 

 regarding the land shells from Col. Godwin- Austen, as well as from what I know of the plant 

 collections, that the results promise to be of exceptional interest. What has been done by the 

 expedition is but a fragment of what there is to be accomplished. In exploring the island, I 

 deemed it better, considering the short time of our sojourn, rather to attempt to cover as much 

 ground as possible, with the view of obtaining a representative collection, than to examine in 

 detail a limited tract of country. By doing this, much barren land was travelled over, and 

 many rich and fertile spots were necessarily only superficially looked at. Especially amongst 

 the hills of the Haggier range are there valleys which would well repay a careful and extended 

 investigation. The expedition just completed ought to be considered only preliminary; I 

 am assured a rich harvest awaits any collector who may visit the island. 



" If at any future time an expedition should be sent to the island, it would be well if the date 

 of its arrival were timed so that it should have the last months of one and the first months of 

 the following year upon the island. Our expedition reached the island too late in the year, so 

 that before we left the heat was so intense as to prevent our doing so much work as we desired. 

 Again, the inaccuracy of our knowledge of the geography of the island is a point to which the 

 attention of future expeditions should be directed. The chart based on Wellsted's observations 

 is the only available one, and that is so incomplete and incorrect as to be almost useless to 

 any one moving about the island. 



" In conclusion, I desire to express my heart}^ thanks, and those of the other members of 

 the expedition, to the Committee for their aid. Also to General Loch, C.B.; Major Goodfellow; 

 Dr Hay ; Capt. Heron, R.N., and officers of H.M.S. ' Seagull,' and to the officers of the despatch- 

 boat ' Dagmar,' for the very kind way they one and all co-operated to make the expedition 

 successful." 



I must take this opportunity of further saying how entirely the expedition 

 depended upon the assistance readily and willingly given by the India Office. 

 By the kind intervention of Mr Thiselton-Dyer and Sir George Birdwood, I 

 was enabled to have an interview with Sir Louis Mallet, who cordially 

 interested himself in the objects of the expedition, and at once promised that 

 everything should be done that could contribute to the attainment of them. 

 His promise was amply fulfilled. 



Our collections were distributed in accordance with the statement in the 

 Report above quoted, and I may add to what is mentioned there, that the 

 geological specimens were sent to the British Museum, and the surplus 

 botanical collections distributed amongst the chief herbaria on the Con- 

 tinent. 



The list of those who have kindly examined and described our collections 

 from Socotra, so far as these have been published, is — 



