It is impossible in the pages of this book to do more than point out some of the most interesting and beautiful of the specimens which constitute the rich botanical collection of the Crystal Palace. Amongst such a multitude of examples many of the greatest interest necessarily find no mention here, but they are not the less to be observed. The smallest and most unobtrusive plant may be the most worthy of notice, and in its relations with human life the most deadly, the most medicinal, or the most grateful. The history and attributes of almost every one will lead us on a course fraught with knowledge, and a pleasure which study unveils more and more. The Borders, which range along each side of the Nave fronting the façades of the various Courts, are all numbered, as will be seen by a reference to the plan. The South and North Transepts are filled with trees and flowers. The divisions of the Natural History Illustrations are also filled with examples to represent, as much as possible, the flora of the various countries. We propose to accompany the visitor from Border No. 1, close to the Screen of Kings and Queens, and following the arrangement of the Borders up this, the South-Western side of the Palace, to return on the opposite or garden side. In Border No. 1, we first notice an example of one of the finest and largest timber trees of New Zealand, the native name of which is the Kakaterre (_Dacrydium taxifolium_). This is a tree of giant growth. Just beyond the statue of Chatham are two specimens of the _Melaleuca_, some of the species of which furnish the Australian aborigines with a kind of tea; this beautiful species of tree is almost exclusively peculiar to Australia, and contributes much to form the character of Australian vegetation. Against the Column, and adjacent in this Border, are also several fine plants, some of which are 30 feet high, of the Australian Acacia (_Acacia foliosa_). The early foliage of this tree, it is interesting to observe, is characterised by a larger development than it assumes with more advanced growth; these differences can easily be distinguished in the plants before us, which may be identified by their light-coloured and elegant leaves. Another large Acacia (_Melanoxylon_) is near the angle of the South Transept, and on the left of it perhaps one of the finest specimens of the _Rhododendron arboreum_ from Nepaul. This magnificent tree was one of the first of this species sent out after its introduction into this country, and when only five inches high was purchased for five guineas. It bears rich scarlet flowers.