4 
NATURE NOTES. 
artists who deal with vegetable life — Mr. G. C. Haite, author 
of Plant Studies, and Prof. F. E. Hulrne, author of Familiar Wild 
Flowers, and Suggestions in Floral Design ; Mr. R. M. Watson, too, 
has placed at our disposal a series of admirable sketches of 
nature : but unfortunately our funds do not permit of much ex- 
penditure in the way of making our pages bright with pictures. 
May we hope that additional contributions to the Magazine 
Fund will enable us to do much more in this direction during 
the present year ? 
We must express much regret that Nature Notes has 
ceased to have as one of its editors Mr. James Britten, editor 
of the Journal of Botany , to whom the magazine has been 
indebted, not only for a vigorous use of the editorial pruning 
knife, but for able contributions on a variety of subjects. 
Although Mr. Britten is no longer able to act as co-editor, we 
trust that we may still have much assistance from his wide 
knowledge and versatile pen. The very valuable services, still 
continued, of Mr. Edward King, in arranging the business affairs 
of the Magazine, are acknowledged in another page. 
There never has been the slightest difficulty in obtaining 
literary contributions for Nature Notes. Not one member of 
the Society who was asked to help has refused : indeed, the 
difficulty has been to select articles for publication from the large 
mass of material which has been placed at our disposal. When 
it is remembered that every one connected with Nature Notes 
has worked freely for love of the cause, without the slightest 
fee or reward (the only expense to the Society being the 
printers’ bill and the cash expended in postage and carriage), 
it must be acknowledged that the Selborne Society has no 
reason to complain of the apathy of its members, who have 
shown the most loyal determination to support their organ. 
The generous labours of our staff of contributors have not 
lacked thorough appreciation. Not only have the subscribing 
members of the Selborne Society largely increased (each such 
new member means the distribution of an additional copy 
of the Magazine), but the general public have shown their 
approval of the literary fare set before them by purchasing 
Nature Notes to a considerable extent. The opinion, too, 
expressed by the guides of public opinion— the newspapers and 
our contemporary magazines — has been distinctly favourable to 
our undertaking ; our principles have been largely endorsed, and 
the form in which they have been set forth has been highly 
commended. 
If we have done well in 1890, we hope to do much better in 
1891. Our band of ardent volunteers will march more boldly 
with the confidence that is generated by success. The size of 
our journal is greatly enlarged, so that there will be much more 
space for the insertion of articles ; the number of readers is 
largely increased, so that (to borrow a metaphor from oratory) 
every speaker will address a larger audience ; our staff, too, will 
