NOTICES OF BOOKS. 223 



often of equal force and originality, are made between species, genera, or 

 other groups, of different families, but from want of any hints 'as to 

 what the families are to which the genera belong, it is sometimes im- 

 possible to understand them. The same disregard of the reader's in- 

 feriority in point of practical acquaintance with the subject is displayed 

 m alluding to authors, and more frequently to countries ; the names of 

 local writers, and of small, little-known parts of the globe, are repeatedly 

 introduced without any indication of who the one is or where the others 

 are ; and a long train of reasoning is thus sometimes lost to the most 

 attentive reader, and thrown away upon less intelligent ones. Lastly, 

 the absence of any table of the contents, of compendious analyses of 

 the chapters, of descriptive headings to the pages, of a key to the ge- 

 neral arrangement of the matter, of a synopsis and diagrams of the 

 principal families and tribes, and of a fuller Index, are serious draw- 

 backs to the utility of the work. These are points whch may be easily 

 remedied in a second edition, and this we hope and believe will be very 

 soon called for, — when too a chapter on the methods of observing and 

 collecting, of depicting and studying, and of preparing and illustrating, 

 an herbarium of Cryptogamic plants, might be added with the greatest 

 benefit, as would also separate chapters on the phenomena of life, and 

 principles of classification, etc. The work is eminently profound, original, 

 philosophical, and accurate. In the Preface it is honestly stated, that it 

 is not intended for persons who have not some general acquaintance with 

 botany ; but the above are drawbacks felt by professed botanists, and 

 which, if remedied, would render the work exceedingly useful to those 

 having no general acquaintance with botany, and not one whit less 

 valuable to the experienced botanist, but the contrary. 



Bentham, G. ; Plants Habtwegianjs. 8vo. 1 vol. 393 pp. 



1839-1856. London: Pamplin. 



Mr. Bentham's * Plants Hartwegian^ ' is now completed, and on sale 

 at Mr; Pamplin's, 45, Frith Street. [Any persons having received pre- 

 sentation copies from Mr. Bentham may have them completed on apply- 

 ing to him at 91, Victoria Street, Westminster, stating the last page 

 which they have received from him. He will then (immediately on his 

 return from the Continent, in October) forward the remaining sheets.] 



Our valued friend Mr. Bentham has done good service to the cause 

 of the Botany of Central America, in the publication of this valuable 



