NOTES ON " ENGLISH BOTANY, SUPPLEMENT ' 253 



NOTES ON "ENGLISH BOTANY, SUPPLEMENT." 1 



PARTS I. AND II. 



By G. CLARIDGE DRUCE, M.A., F.L.S. 



THIS the supplement to [Boswell] Syme's English Botany 

 is to be prepared by Mr. N. E. Brown as far as Dipsaceae. 

 Mr. Arthur Bennett is to complete the work, which it is ex- 

 pected will reach to eight or nine parts. 



The first part gives coloured plates of Ranunculus flabel- 

 latus (R. ch(zrophyllos},Arabis alpina, Poly gala amara, Claytonia 

 sibirica (C. alsinoides], and Lavatera cretica (L. silvestris). A 

 good plate of Brassica Napus to replace the old one in 

 " E. Bot." is also supplied. Although dated on the title-page 

 1891, I do not think this part was issued till 1892 ; in fact 

 all along there has been great neglect in properly dating the 

 publications of the parts of " English Botany," which should 

 not occur in works of this importance. 



The compiler apparently dates his citation of species 

 from the first edition of the " Systema Naturae," of 1735. 

 I have elsewhere 2 pointed out at length the objections which 

 exist to going back to that date, and have suggested that the 

 date taken should be 1753 ; when the binomial system was 

 first consistently applied in the first edition of the " Species 

 Plantarum." If the date chosen, 1735, had been rigorously 

 followed, very many generic names would have had to be 

 altered from those employed in " English Botany." 



An innovation which (although followed by some 

 eminent foreign botanists) is not altogether pleasing is that 

 of commencing all specific names, except those derived from 

 persons, with a small letter. British custom has almost 

 been universal in writing names which have been used in a 

 generic or appellative sense with an initial capital. 



The compiler must be congratulated, however, on the 

 much more complete and correct citation of authorities than 

 was to be found in Syme's portion of the work ; and it is to be 



1 "English Botany," Supplement to the Third Edition, Nos. 90 and 91. 

 By N. E. Brown, 1891-92. J. Bell and Co., No. 90, 5 plates; No. 91, I 

 plate. 



2 " Pharm. Journal, Mar." May 1892. 



