262 



Jo/uis : Maps ajid Records. 



a 



h 



c 



d 



a space measuring one-sixth of a mile each side. The inch 

 being; the unit selected makes the ruling- simple, but, as will 

 appear, there is a further advantag-e. It will be noticed that 

 the numerals i to 9 are used, starting with the top left hand 

 corner to designate the vertical columns formed by the thick 

 lines and the letters A to F for those formed by the horizontal 

 columns. Any particular large square must form the point 

 of intersection of a vertical and horizontal column, and by 

 quoting- the letter and numeral corresponding to those columns 

 the location of that large square is given in the easiest possible 

 w^ay and with the least chance of error. In scientific records, 

 however, greater accuracy in denoting the locality is required, 

 and for this the small inside squares are used. 

 They are, each set of four, called a, h, c, d. 

 Thus an observation in the small square 

 marked x in the diagram would be recorded 

 as C 4 d. 



There w^ould be thus ensured a respectable 

 minimum of accuracy by the simple use of two 

 letters and one numeral. The observer need 

 not stop at this, but should, in his notes, give the bearings or 

 other particulars from some fixed and noticeable point within 

 the square he is using and the contour line. He should also 

 clearly give the number of the map he was using when com- 

 mencing his notices. Methods of dividing up maps similar to 

 this have been proposed before, but the writer has never heard 

 it suggested for natural history w^ork. It is now being used 

 for botanical survey purposes by the Botanical Section of the 

 Sheffield Naturalists' Club and by the geologists in certain 

 research w^ork. Their experience is that the method is simple 

 and conduces to greater accuracy in making notes. 



It would not be difficult to suggest various directions in 

 which this method would be useful. To those engaged in 

 making a botanical survey its advantages are so evident that 

 nothing mo'-e need be said except that the larger problems that 

 will be suggested when that survey is completed will stand a 

 better chance of being solved when workers in other branches 

 of science can be supplied with notes giving localities in such a 

 way that they can be easily transferred to geological or soil 

 maps. Many an isolated worker would find the advantage of 

 the method when discussing his problems with some other 

 distant worker. It should also be particularly useful in 

 geological work. The mapping of erratics in a district would 



Naturalist, 



