HERTFORDSHIRE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
Xlll 
Rick mans worth meeting; to Mr. Hopkinson, at St. Albans; and 
to Mr. H. J. Busby, at Wormleybury, Broxbourne. 
The Library is in a satisfactory condition, and numerous works 
have been received during the year by donation and in exchange. 
The ‘Flora of Hertfordshire,’ which has been in the press for 
the last two years, was published and issued to subscribers in 
December. The completion of this most valuable contribution to 
the Natural History of Hertfordshire, a work of 650 pages, is au 
era in the history of the Society which calls for more than a passing 
notice. The name of the author, Alfred Reginald Pryor, whom 
we have hitherto known as R. A. Pryor (reversed initials being 
adopted by him to avoid confusion with his father), has frequently 
appeared in our annual reports, in the very first (that for 1875) as 
the contributor of botanical papers, and in that for 1881 in the 
record of his death in that year and his bequest to the Society. 
Since then, in every report, some steps taken with regard to the 
publication of the work of his life have been chronicled, and 
although its preparation for the press was from various causes 
delayed for some years, the time that has elapsed since the editor¬ 
ship was entrusted to Mr. Daydon Jackson cannot be considered 
of undue length when the difficulties attending it are taken into 
consideration,—difficulties which only those who have undertaken 
similar work can fully appreciate. Mr. Jackson has been assisted 
by Mr. A. E. Gibbs, who transcribed the original MS., and by Mr. 
John Hopkinson, who revised the proofs and contributed the map 
of the botanical districts and the greater portion of the Introduction. 
The thanks of the Society are also due to Mr. J. Yincent Elsden 
for the use of the blocks of the two maps introduced to illustrate 
the superficial geology of the county. 
The work has necessarily entailed a great expense upon the 
Society. The large-paper edition of 50 copies having been fully 
subscribed for, except one copy sent to the British Museum Library 
in accordance with the Copyright Act, and two copies reserved for 
the Society’s library, has realised the cost of its production ; but of 
the small-paper edition only about 100 of the 500 copies printed 
have so far been disposed of, leaving a considerable deficit, which 
can only be covered by the sale in course of years of the greater 
part of the stock remaining on hand. 
Owing to the expense of the production of the * Flora,’ it has 
been necessary to curtail to some extent the Society’s ‘ Trans¬ 
actions,’ each quarterly part of which, for the last two years, has 
consisted of 32 instead of the usual 48 pages. Four parts of Vol. IV, 
containing 128 pages and one plate, were issued during the year, 
and the volume will be completed in two more parts, one con¬ 
taining the proceedings of the last two sessions, and the other the 
title-page, contents, index, etc. 
In conclusion the Council has to express the thanks of the Society 
to the Committee of the Watford Public Library for the accommo¬ 
dation afforded. 
