286 MR. W. A. NICHOLSON ON BOTANY OF SUTTON. 
places, and containing the usual marsh plants, yet one was 
surprised to find many plants associated with them more 
suggestive of an ordinary meadow, such as 
Ranunculus acris, L. 
Trifolium pratensis, L. 
T. REPENS, L. 
LATHYRUS PRATENSIS, L. 
VlCIA Cracca, L. 
Here Listera ovata, R. Br. was growing in hundreds not far 
from 
Genista anglica, L., and 
Erythr.ea Centaurium, Pers. 
The importance of statistics in the study of biology, has 
been recognised for some years, mainly through the work of 
Prof. Karl Pearson, Mr. F. Galton, and others. The use of 
statistical methods now forms one of the main avenues for 
approaching the solution of biological problems. I am not 
aware that much work of this nature has been done from the 
side of bionomical botany, but there is no doubt a promising 
field open for future workers in this direction. Statistics 
of the plants in very many square yards in different positions 
of the area examined and at different periods, would be of 
great value in supplying thoroughly reliable data with regard 
to the increase or decrease of certain species. 
It is not necessary here to dilate further upon the valuable 
results which would follow from careful statistical investi- 
gations in field-botany, as it is evident, that by their means 
many obscure points might be elucidated. 
On the whole, the Flora we are now considering may be 
said to be very similar to that of the Fenland of Western 
Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Professor Babington’s list of 
the plants of Wicken Fen (Flora of Cambridgeshire, i860), 
corresponds very closely with a list of those found in the 
Sutton district quite recently. *Cladium jamaicense, Crantz, 
however, still, as formerly, seems to occupy a more dominant 
position in the herbage of the Fenland, than in our Broadband. 
* Mr. Wallis. 
