NATURE NOTES 
1 14 
A Correction. — In Canon Rawnsley’s sonnet, on p. 61, the 
first word of line 6 should be “ Thy,” not “ My ” ; and in line 9 the 
full stop should be after “ follow,” and not at the end of the line. 
Botany and the London County Council. — We are glad 
to see that our comments on a paragraph from the Daily Express 
in our March issue have attracted the attention of the Editor 
of the Journal of Botany, and have led to his making some en- 
quiries. It seems that the paragraph we quoted from the Express 
is inaccurate, in so far that the Council will not provide its staff 
with cycles, though it will pay them a penny a mile when using 
their own machines. To us this is immaterial. What is vastly 
more important is the following assurance officially supplied to 
the Journal of Botany : — 
“ As to the collection of botanical specimens, the greater part of the 
specimens are gathered from the Council’s parks, privately owned gardens and 
lands, and until quite recently from the Royal Parks, consisting largely of the 
waste produce, prunings, &c. The extent to which specimens are gathered at 
or near roadsides is very small, and is limited almost solely to buttercups, chick- 
weed and shepherd’s purse, which are numerous, and of which only a few are 
taken. Rare plants are never taken. An undertaking not to uproot or in any 
way damage the character of the flora, &c. , is always given whenever the per- 
mission of owners for facilities to gather specimens is sought or obtained. This 
rule is also rigidly observed whenever any material is taken at or near roadsides.” 
This seems to us, as to the Journal of Botany, satisfactory ; 
but at the same time we hope that, after the proposed expendi- 
ture of ^2,405 at Avery Hill and Golder’s Hill, the Council may 
be able to grow its own buttercups, chickweed and shepherd’s 
purse. In his article on this subject in the May number of the 
Journal of Botany Mr. Britten expresses once more his view that 
our Society has neglected “ a great opportunity for making its 
influence felt, and for establishing its claims to the support of 
all Nature-lovers,” by not protesting more actively and energeti- 
cally against the wanton destruction by local councils of roadside 
beauty by the “ disfigurement of trees and hedges,” and “ the 
continual paring of roadsides and scraping of hedge-bottoms.” 
We have protested in this matter repeatedly, both in print and 
verbally, and we fully agree with Mr. Britten in his regret for 
this widespread policy of uglification ; but we cannot confine 
our efforts to one department of our work. 
The South Eastern Union of Scientific Societies. — 
A most attractive programme has been issued for the Congress 
of this Union (with which our Society is affiliated). It is to be 
held at Eastbourne Town Hall, from June 6 to 9, under the 
presidency of Dr. Francis Darwin, F.R.S. After an excursion 
to Beachy Head on the Wednesday afternoon, the President 
will deliver his Address, and on the succeeding days there will 
be papers on the Flora and Birds of the district, on coast-erosion, 
by Mr. E. A. Martin, on the Geology of the Ravensbourne, by 
Mr. W. H. Griffin, and on Nature-study by our Honorary 
Secretary. There will be excursions to Michelham Priory, 
Pevensey and Alfriston, and the Mayor will give a reception at 
which Mr. E. J. Bedford will lecture on “ Bird Architecture.” 
