274 A. G. Tansley. 
known to Continental plant-geographers.” After a good deal of 
preliminary correspondence and discussion as to the most suitable 
date, it was decided, in December, 1909, to fix on the month of 
August, 1911, and a rough outline of the places to be visited was 
drawn up and embodied in the circular referred to. The purpose 
of the excursion was defined as that “ of visiting under the 
guidance of botanists who have specially studied them, the principal 
types of vegetation to be met with in the British Isles.” Thus, in 
accordance with the objects which the British Vegetation Com¬ 
mittee exists to promote, the aim of the excursion was defined 
as ecological rather than floristic. It was also decided that the 
the size of the party must he strictly limited, so that no public 
announcement was made, but the preliminary circular took the 
form of an invitation addressed to a selected list of foreign plant- 
geographers of distinction. The response was unexpectedly 
unanimous. With one exception all the botanists addressed 
provisionally accepted the invitation, and it thus became clear that 
the excursion would certainly not fail from lack of support. Later 
on, however, after the issue of a fuller programme in March, 1911, 
several of those who had provisionally accepted found that they 
would be prevented from coming by circumstances which had arisen 
since their original acceptance, and accordingly invitations were 
sent to others. At the last moment Professor Warming was kept 
at home by serious illness, from which all ecologists will be glad to 
learn that he has now happily completely recovered, Dr. Weber by 
unexpected circumstances and Professor Flahault by domestic 
considerations. It was with the greatest regret that the Committee 
learned that these three distinguished men could not after all be 
present, for to none more than to Professors Warming and Flahault 
does the recent growth of British ecology owe its stimulus and 
inspiration, while the absence of Dr. Weber from an expedition 
through a country possessing such extensive peat deposits as the 
British Isles, was certainly a very serious loss. The party eventually 
consisted of eleven foreign guests, about the number which was 
originally contemplated: Professorand Mrs. ClementsofMinneapolis, 
Professor and Mrs. Cowles of Chicago, Professor Drude of Dresden, 
Professor Graebner of Berlin, Professor Lindman of Stockholm, 
Professor Massart of Brussels, Dr. Ostenfeld of Copenhagen, and 
Dr. Riibel and Professor Schroter of Zurich. Besides these Mr. 
G. Claridge Druce of Oxford, representing British floristic botany, 
was present during the whole tour, and various members of the 
