316 NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



also well worth perusal even by botanists skilled in these branches. 

 Great care and judgment have been exercised in avoiding all unne- 

 cessary terms, and in being very explicit in the use of those chosen ; 

 this is an immense benefit to the student and general reader, and to 

 this, and the excellent tone with which all matters are discussed, we 

 owe the pleasure with which we have perused the work. There is no 

 attempt at popular writing in any part of the book ; no crowding of 

 conflicting opinions of other authors ; the Professor is supposed by his 

 pupils to know which side to take and teach on a disputed point, and 

 he takes it on his own responsibility, without dogmatism, and gene- 

 rally, in our opinion, he takes the right. 



In a work of such scope there must be some inequality in point of 

 execution, and as we have so much freely to praise, we have less scru- 

 ple in noticing the only two obvious defects of much importance ; such 

 are some very serious mistakes in the descriptions of Natural Orders, 

 and an incredible number in the few pages devoted to an amplification 

 of Schouw's phyto-geographic regions, which is an unfortunate attempt 

 to better a bad thing, and has resulted in making bad worse. This 

 however scarcely aifects the general utility of the book, which we can 

 cordially recommend, as equally honourable to its talented author and 

 well adapted to its purpose. 



It remains to add that the work is well illustrated with woodcuts, of 

 unequal merit, but many of them excellent. 



Gray, Dr. Asa ; List of Dried Plants collected in Japan by S. Wells 



Williams 



4to. 



This list of Japan Plants (more than a list, for it contains characters 

 and descriptions of the new species) is particularly acceptable at this 

 time, now that there is some prospect of that country being made more 

 accessible to Europeans and to men of science, and that we have our- 

 selves a botanical collector en route for the Japanese Islands. 



We 



Mr. Williams 



of the American Mission at Macao, and the present collection was 

 principally made in the northern part of Japan. It was hence naturally 

 expected that it would add to the Japanese Flora a considerable num- 



