28 Pliytogeo graphical Excursion in the British Isles. 
As one of the foreign botanists 1 beg you to allow me to 
express in your Journal some general impressions of the “ I.P.E.” 
in 1911. 
The vegetation of your country has only one defect, a defect 
that is shared by our own : they are both out of the way, neither 
country lies on any great European route, and so they are not 
well known to the botanists of the Continent. For instance, the 
Royal Botanic Museum at Stockholm—well filled with collections 
from most countries, brought home by keen Swedish floristic 
botanists and travellers—still lacks herbarium specimens from the 
British Isles, except a few sheets sent by J. E. Smith, and, in later 
times by the brothers Linton and Groves. A more frequent inter¬ 
course across the North Sea would be useful to contribute to the 
understanding of various floristic and phytogeographical questions, 
and to clear up several confusions. No doubt then a properly 
organized trip through the British Isles must be a first-class event 
in European phytogeography and a great attraction to any foreign 
naturalist. So I found it, and I can truly say that I saw and 
learned much more during the excursion than I ever expected. 
And I gladly testify, on my own behalf, and on behalf of my 
colleagues, that however much we had seen in different countries, 
we still found many peculiarities in the British vegetation, which 
are not to be seen elsewhere, and many features, which are as 
striking and interesting as any we have ever met with. 
This, I think, may be said of the objects of the very first 
excursions, the vast fens, carrs and broads of Norfolk; and the 
same is true of the lonely moors and hill pastures of the Pennines, 
the shingle banks along the sea-shores, the great chalk-slopes of 
Kingley Vale in Sussex, with their wonderful yew woods, the dripping 
sub-tropical fern-clefts of Killarney, and the remarkable plains of 
Galway and of Cornwall, where the singular scenery is emphasised 
by the strange peculiarities of the flora. 
Indeed, if only a part of this abundance had been offered to us 
we might have felt quite satisfied and surprised. But, by the 
skilful organisation of the British Vegetation Committee, and by 
the aid of many other persons and institutions, we were easily able 
to see the most interesting things and the most beautiful scenery 
in Great Britain and Ireland, that botanists would want to know. 
And we all assuredly recognized that the whole excursion was 
arranged crescendo, continually passing to more interesting subjects, 
more pregnant plant formations, and more striking scenery. 
Hence the lustre of your “ I.P.E.,” heightened by the experience 
of the never failing sunshine of the brightest British summer in 
the memory of man. 
My own observations are perhaps but little important, but 
I made a good many, both ecological and floristic. I shall not, 
however, mention them to-day. I will only add that I appreciated 
very much the many occasions of getting acquainted with British 
botanists and of seeing them at their work. I am also indebted to 
you all for much kindness and courtesy. 
C. A. M. L1NDMAN, 
Stockholm, Director of the Royal Botanic Museum , 
December, 1911. 
