The Scottish Naturalist. 



359 



situated, and to trace the relations of the present forms of living 

 beings with those that preceded them. A similar interest attaches, 

 of course, to similar series prepared to illustrate human progress, 

 or the history of selected groups or species of plants or animals. 



In conclusion, I must beg you to excuse the length of this 

 paper, as in it are brought before you somewhat fully the con- 

 clusions of men practically acquainted with the best methods of 

 attaining success in a very important educational reform, or what, 

 in truth, may be regarded as such in most districts of Scotland. 

 It may be that these conclusions aim at the ideal too much to do 

 full justice to the success that has rewarded efforts on a humbler 

 scale than they contemplate ; and that they may possibly do 

 harm by discouraging the attempts that frequently are alone 

 possible. Yet it is well to have high aims, even should they 

 appear for a time almost unattainable, provided that they are not 

 allowed to block the way for those means that may alone be 

 possible at first, and that may lead to something better. 



THE WILLOWS OP THE DISTRICT OP THE NORTH-EAST OP 

 SCOTLAND UNION OP NATURALISTS' SOCIETIES. 



By F. Buchanan White, M.D., F.L.S. 



(Read before the E.S.U.N.S. in July, 1890). 



1 pOR a long time the genus Salix has been the pet aversion 



1 of British botanists ; not that the species of that genus are 

 at all repulsive, but from the difficulty of ascertaining the names 

 of the various forms. This difficulty is due partly to real and 

 partly to artificial causes. Real, because willows are amongst the 

 most variable of plants ; artificial, because the enthusiastic little 

 band of salicologists which flourished about the beginning of the 

 century loaded the list with a number of imaginary species. I do 

 not mean that they invented species, but that they gave specific 

 rank to forms whose characteristics were only those of individual 

 plants. To such an extent was this done that out of one willow 

 (Salix nigricans) British and Continental botanists contrived to 

 manufacture upwards of one hundred supposed species. Of these 

 only a few were ever recognised as British, and eight of them still 

 remain in our lists as varieties. But even as varieties they are 



