132 



The Naturalist. 



denizens, and aliens, according as they are aboriginal inhabitants of 

 the countr3\ or appear to have been introduced through man's agency, 

 acting either indirectly or directly. And, finally, he separates out the 

 species into their types of distribution — British, English, Atlantic, 

 Grermanic, Scotch, Highland or Intermediate, according to whether 

 they are dispersed through the whole of the island, or preponderate in 

 some part of it. In a Supplement of the Cybele " that came out in 

 1860, the horizontal range of the species is traced through the 38 sub- 

 provinces. In the three volumes of the " Compendium" (1868-70) the 

 species are again traced out through the provinces. Of course the 

 earlier works raised up a number of helpers, who gladly aided him to 

 make the later ones more complete. In the " Compendium," in 

 addition, the dispersion of each species beyond the bounds of Britain 

 is traced out ; and finally, in " Topographical Botany," 2 vols., 1873- 

 74, the horizontal distribution of the species through the 112 vice- 

 counties is traced out. Of this work only a limited number of copies 

 was printed for private distribution. At the time of his death, Mr, 

 AYatson was engaged in the preparation of a second edition of it ; this 

 Mr. Quaritch has undertaken to publish, and my friend Mr. Newbould 

 and I have been engaged for the last year in seeing it through the 

 press, and we expect it will be ready about midsummer. 



What, then, still remains to be done ? I make answer that, in the 

 first place, we expect from every local or county Natural History society 

 that if such information be not already placed on record, they should 

 set to work to collect and publish a full account of the horizontal and 

 vertical range of the plants of the area they deal with, explaining the 

 circumstances under w^hich each grows, what is its rarity or common- 

 ness, and all particulars as to how it adapts itself to the diff'erent soils 

 and geological strata that occur in the district. We have in Watson's 



Topographical Botany," a separate catalogue for each of the five vice- 

 counties of Yorkshire, but three out of the five still need dealing with 

 in the way I have just indicated. The information in botany, which, 

 primarily and particularly, we ask from you as a county society, is a 

 . fuU account of the distribution of species through the West and East 

 ridings. For the West-Biding the general sketch contained in the 

 ''West Yorkshire" of Dr. Arnold Lees and Mr. Davis is excellent as 

 far as it goes, and there is also the small Flora of Miall and Carrington, * 

 but much more than this is still needed ; and for the East-Ptiding there 

 is nothing to turn to except the list in " Topographical Botany," and 

 the scattered records in Baines's " Flora of Yorkshire " and its supple- 

 ment. Looking beyond the bounds of Yorkshire, through the rest of 



