SUFFOLK COUNTY FLORA SCHEME 136 cards out of 176 issued have been returned and nearly all these recorders have asked for a fresh card for 1957, believing they could add at least a few more species. Some have offered to do another parish besides their own. Local Societies at Bury and Newmarket have helped substantially in the work, and many excellent botanists, who are not members of our Society are also contributing. Lists of 370 or so species for a single parish are not mentioned for emulation, for one or two came from parishes with very varied habitats and others from people who have kept private records over a great number of years—these last are probably exhaustive. Parishes with a uniform habitat would naturally have fewer species. Many letters have been received about plants that seem to be dying out or that have disappeared entirely in recent years owing to drainage, etc., or from unknown causes. These notes are valuable and have been filed for use later. Some specimens have been sent for determination when a recorder has feit a little doubtful of his own identification. A complete card index has been prepared by Misses Downing and Brebner, of all known Suffolk plants. The next step when all the 1956 cards are available is to add localities, recorders and other data. Meanwhile, Mr. Bingley is preparing a list of established records for Suffolk, so that hitherto unrecorded species and species new to the county can be added to the index. Many recorders have noted under " other species" some rare and some fairly common Suffolk plants not listed in the South-East England Card (C.T.W.) probably because they are considered rather local. We hope to see more of such records. Two fairly wide areas are not very accessible to any of our recorders, but it would be a great help if at least one typical parish in each could be surveyed. The largest lies north of Bury and Stowmarket and their adjacent parishes, extending from Fakenham to Eye. The other lies south of a line from Bury to Newmarket down to the Essex border, where only Haverhill has been done. T h e very best thanks of the Flora Committee are due to the 95 recorders who have come forward and done their work with so much enthusiasm. JANET C .
N.
WILLIS.