» 



with a claim to rank in the gciiiis. The flower is more 

 strictly tubular, and proportionately longer, than in that 

 group ; the label falls short of the outer limb, instead of ex- 

 ceeding it ; the anther is sessile, instead of being elevated 

 by a filament ; the inflorescence terminates a lateral scape, 

 wliich is enveloped by sphacelately membranous sheaths, 

 instead of a central stem enveloped by a green foliage. In 

 this last circumstance, however, the plant probably coin- 

 cides with Alimnia occ'identaUs, and the second section of 

 tlie genus as arranged in the Flora Indica of Roxburgh. 

 But Are have fixed its present place, rather from an agree- 

 ment in respect to the technical character of Alpinia, than 

 from a conviction of the species being a good member of 

 the group; and willingly avail ourselves of a colourable pre- 



only 



general s} 



iipo 



timately knou'n to us than to others of 



happen to hav 

 way 



pa 



I 



d 



of natural history, tlian by adding to the crude 

 and desultory genera banftied about in the lucubrations of 

 so many of its votaries. 



It has been already observed, and we think in more than 

 one page of this work, that sound genera are the off'spring 

 of discretion and true criticism. Fancy may suggest that 

 nature lias traced with a wavering hand the fluctuating line 

 which appears to bound these groups to-day to set them free 

 to-morrow; but it is evident that their completion at least 



reas o i 



th 



table boundaries that comprise the species, the basis of her 

 rule. 



We know tliat some ingenious persons say, there are not 

 even species ; that organized existences are intercurrent, 

 without stated or essentitd limits. To the truth of their as- 

 sertion they bring, however, no other evidence, than that in 

 their wisdom they have not found such limits ; and seem 

 more ready to presume an anomaly in the economy of 

 nature, than to suspect a failure in their own sagacity. 

 From such assumption, wliere hybrid procreation is ad- 

 mittedj it would necessarily follow there was no check 

 to the intermixture of proximate existences, and that the 

 results were transmissable to all futurity. For if bounds 



X 

 k 



