82 
SELBORN IANA. 
Annual Meeting and Conversazione. — The conversazione 
will take place, as previously announced, on Monday, May 23, 
from 7.30 to 10.30 at the Society’s rooms, 20, Hanover Square, 
W. The meeting will commence at 8. Sir John Lubbock will 
give the Presidential Address and will be supported by the Hon. 
Mrs. R. C. Boyle, Professor G. S. Boulger, Dr. Longstaff, Hon. 
J. Scott Montagu and others. After the meeting, lantern slides 
illustrating bird life will be shown, under the supervision of Mr. 
H. W. Ravenshaw. There will also be an exhibition of draw- 
ings, microscopic objects, curios, &c., and during the evening 
short addresses will be given on “ Aquatic Insects,” “ Selborne,” 
and other subjects. 
A ticket of admission is sent with each copy of Nature 
Notes this month to all members of the Selborne Society. It 
is particularly requested that those intending to be present will 
fill in their names in the blank space provided for the purpose, 
and also that Honorary Secretaries of Branches who attend will 
take steps to make themselves known to the Secretary or mem- 
bers of the Council. 
Botany in London Parks. — A joint committee of the Parks 
and Open Spaces Committee and the Technical Education 
Board of the London County Council has been considering the 
practicability of laying out plots of ground in certain of the 
London parks in such a manner as will afford assistance to 
scholars at elementary and secondary schools in the study of 
practical botany. Reports have been presented to the com- 
mittee on the educational side of the question by Dr. Garnett 
and Dr. Kimmins. The following suggestions were contained 
in these reports : — (1) That a very valuable experiment could be 
conducted on a scale sufficiently wide if, in each of three parks, 
about twenty rods of ground were devoted to the cultivation for 
school purposes of hardy typical plants belonging to twenty 
natural orders. (2) The beds should be arranged near the paths, 
one bed being devoted to each order. They should differ in 
size, the largest being a little under 500 square feet, and the 
smallest about 100 square feet in area, so that the average of the 
twenty beds would be approximately one rod. (3) The speci- 
mens selected should be such as are suitable for growth, and 
each should be labelled with its common name and its Latin, or 
systematic name. (4) Labels giving the names and natural 
orders should be attached to the more important trees, shrubs, 
and plants throughout the parks selected. (5) A botanical guide 
to the parks selected should be published under the superinten- 
dence of the Technical Education Board and the Parks Com- 
mittee jointly. (6) Teachers holding printed orders from the 
Technical Education Board should be able to obtain from the 
