90 
HISTORY OF THE COUNTY BOTANY OF WORCESTER. 
kept for some time, prove one of the best acid-astringent 
Sawces that Nature affords.” 
This is the first notice of the celebrated Wyre Forest Sorb 
Tree, which, after having attracted the visits of many 
generations of Botanists, was destroyed by fire by some mis¬ 
creant m 1862. A view of the tree, with a figure of the 
foliage and fruit, will be found in the plate opposite p. 10 
of Nash’s Worcestershire, (Vol. I., 1781,) and a full descrip¬ 
tion in p. 11. A sketch of the tree in its last stage of decay 
is given by Mr. Lees, at p. 91 of the “ Botany of Worcester¬ 
shire.” We have seen that Bay was elected a Fellow of the 
Boyal Society in 1667. It is probable that Mr Pitt’s letter 
was addressed to Bay, and contributed by him to the Philo¬ 
sophical Transactions. 
The first edition of the Synopsis, 1690, gives very little 
further information relating to the County. At p. 75, we find 
a description of the Lesser green leaved Hounds-tongue, and the 
remark, “ It hath also been observed in some shady lanes 
about Worcester, by Mr. Pitts.” At p. 219, is a description of 
the Sorbus, with the note, that it is “ said to grow wild in 
many places of the Morelands in Staffordshire, by Dr. Plot. 
Hist. Nat., Stafford, p. 208.” 
In 1695, Edward Gibson, of Queen’s College, Oxford, sub¬ 
sequently Bector of Lambeth, Archdeacon of Surrey, Bishop 
of Lincoln, and finally Bishop of London, published his trans¬ 
lation of Camden’s Britannia. This book is of great interest 
to Botanists. At the end of the description of each County is a 
list of the rarer plants, contributed by Bay himself, the whole 
forming the first collection of County records published in 
this country. We learn from the preface that, 
“ The Catalogues of Plants at the end of each County were 
communicated by the great Botanist of our age, Mr. Bay. 
They are the effect of many years observation : and as that 
excellent Person was willing to take this opportunity of hand¬ 
ing them to the publick, so were the Undertakers very ready 
to close with such a considerable Improvement tho’ it 
exceedingly enhanced the expences of Printing, and they were 
no way ty’ed to it by their Proposals.” The Worcestershire 
list is on page 528. It is a very meagre one and is worth 
quoting in full:— 
“ More rare plants growing wild in Worcestershire— 
Colchicum vulgare seu Anglicum purpureum and album, Ger. 
Park. Common Meadow Saffron. I observed it growing most 
plentifully in the meadows of this County. 
Cynoglossum folio virenti, J. B. Cynoglossum minus folio virente, 
Ger. Semper virens, C. B. Park. The lesser green leaved 
Hounds-tongue. It hath been observed in some shady lanes 
near Worcester by Mr. Pitts, an Apothecary and Alderman of 
that City. 
