60 NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



the former botanist contributing the bulk of the Order, and the latter 

 the Suborder Eriogonea. 



To give a matured opinion of the execution of such great labours as 

 these, is obviously impossible without a somewhat detailed study of the 

 plants themselves with the work in our hands; and we can therefore 

 do no more than give our reasons for entertaining no doubt that these 

 mongraphs are first-rate contributions to the science of botany. These 

 are, the established high reputation of the authors, as careful, diligent, 

 acute, and conscientious naturalists; their extensive general acquaint- 

 ance with plants and botanical literature ; the excellence of Meisner's 

 previous monograph of Polygonea^ published in 1826 ; of Benthain's 

 monograph of Eriogonete in the volume of the ' Linnaean Transactions ;' 

 and the fact that these authors have availed themselves of all the mate- 

 rials within their reach for rendering their several contributions com- 

 plete, by visiting the principal European herbaria, and, when possible, 



by borrowing materials for study. And since, even with such qualifi- 

 cations, much excellence in systematic botany cannot be attained with- 

 out a long course of study, we may add that we believe that Mr. 

 Meisner has been studying the Polygonea for now upwards of thirty 

 years; and it is more than seven since he took the Proteacece in hand. 

 Considering how extensive our herbaria now are, and how good a use 

 has been made of the portions now elucidated, it is but reasonable to 

 suppose that the present volume of the f Prodromus ' will enjoy a more 

 lasting value even than any of its predecessors. 



Amongst the more remarkable features of the volume before us are 

 the great size of the genera ; and it is with extreme satisfaction that we 

 find these, which are eminently natural, kept entire. Thus of Eriogo- 

 hum there are 80 species, of Rtimex 130, of Polygonum 215, Coccoloba 

 82, Myristica upwards of 80, Leucadendron 50, Protect 61, Serruria 52, 

 Persoonia 69, Grevillea 176, Hakea 115, Banksia 58, and Dryandra 

 52. Altogether there are just 90 genera, and on an average 20 species 

 to a genus; there being somewhat more than 1800 defined species in 

 the volume. That this proportion is remarkable is proved from Steu- 

 del's € Nomenclator/ where, though the number of species is greatly 

 exaggerated in proportion to the genera, it would appear that amongst 

 all flowering plants there are only about eleven or twelve species to a 

 genus. 



Though the proportion of species i* so large, we by no means imply 

 that these are exaggerated ; the number of new ones proposed is com- 



