INTRODUCTION. 
T HE plants that form the subject of this paper were collected some ten 
years ago mainly by Sir Percy Z. Cox, K.C.S ,1., K.C.I.E., under 
the slopes of the Zor Hills on the coast line of the north-east corner of 
the principality of Koweit on the Persian Gulf. The specimens were 
sent shortly after they were collected to the Eoyal Botanic Garden, 
Calcutta, -where they were identified by Captain (now Major) A. T. Gage, 
and afterwards returned to Sir Percy Cox. In 1915 the collec- 
tion was returned to the Director of the Botanical Survey by the F oreigu 
and Political Department of the Government of India for preseivation 
in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. At the same 
time the manuscript notes recorded by Sir Percy Cox and by Lieutenant- 
Colonel S. G. Knox, C.I.E., on the appearance of the plants in the 
field, their uses, vernacular names and such like were also sent. These 
notes have been reproduced with as little editing as possible, so that; 
their practical value should not be impaired. The value of Sir Percy Cox's- 
collection is greatly enhanced by his accurate record of Arabic and 
Persian plant names, which he has written in fully pointed naskb. 
This forms a welcome -contrast to the carelessness with which many 
collectors record vernacular names. He has also given romanised trans- 
criptions of these names. It may be as well to point out for the benefit 
of those who have learnt languages in India, that Arabic scholars in 
transcribing often use different letters from those used in transcriptions 
from Indian languages such as Urdu, For example <5 is often trans® 
cribed by ‘g/ u* by ‘th* etc. 
The collection is necessarily not completely representative of the 
vegetation of the Zor Hills but is nevertheless of much interest. As 
might be expected from the climatic conditions the specimens show 
decidedly xerophilous characters. Some of the monocotyledons (Gagea) 
resemble bundles of wire. The species of Haloxylon are almost leafless. 
The Boraginaceae have rosettes of densely hairy leaves. The species 
of Filago , etc., are diminutive and wool-clad. The Cruciferae, which 
unfortunately comprise many undetermined specimens, show perhaps 
less xerophily than the others. This may be connected with the faculty 
possessed by annual cruciferous plants of completing their life history 
from seed to seed in very short periods. The rain falls, and the seeds 
germinate. During the few moist days the plants grow up and flower, 
and before drought again prevails, seed is already set. 
m B l 
