By the Rev. T. A. Preston, M.A. 111 



of growth, or such other points as may be deemed deserving of 

 representation. 



Mr. Flower has enumerated rather over 830 species of Wiltshire 

 plants, to which may be added nearly 20 since discovered, and as 

 each species will be represented by five sheets of specimens, the 

 Herbarium, when completed, would have somewhere about 5000 

 sheets of specimens. This may seem an almost needlessly large 

 number, but when it is considered that the same species ought 

 (however common it may be) to be represented by specimens in 

 different stages of maturity, those specimens in its different stages 

 may be taken from the different divisions, and thus obviate the 

 necessit}^ of having the same species repeated five times. Varieties 

 also may take the place of the typical specimen from one division, 

 if it is properly represented from another division — and in this way 

 the apparently useless repetition of the same species may be greatly 

 reduced. But I do not contemplate such a reduction. The acquaint- 

 ance with our British plants has of late years so increased that 

 different forms of our commonest species are being pointed out, and 

 a large series of specimens is often of great value, and so far from a 

 single specimen for each division being advisable, it may prove 

 necessary to have a regular series. 



For these reasons, then, I consider that a county collection ought 

 to be most fully illustrated, and if objections arise as to its size or 

 costliness, I do not think they need have much weight. Up to the 

 present time, it has not cost the Society £5, and for the future, even 

 including the cost of the cases in which to keep the specimens, a 

 sum of £1, or £2, would probably be the average cost per annum. 

 This cannot be considered a great burden on the Society's funds ; 

 and as for the amount of space required, it need not be a matter of 

 serious difficulty. 



With these preliminary remarks, I turn now to the actual state of 

 the Collection. 



At the opening of the Museum at Devizes, in September, a first 

 instalment was placed in a cabinet devoted to this purpose. That 

 instalment consisted of 626 sheets, illustrating about 441 species. 

 Since then other specimens have been mounted, and are ready for 



