126 The Scottish Naturalist. 



THE BOTANICAL WORK OF GEORGE DON OF FORFAR. 



By G. C. DRUCE, F.L.S. 



IN some numbers of the Scottish Naturalist for 1881 (April — 

 October), appeared a most interesting account of " The Life 

 and Labours of George Don," ^by Mr. John Knox of Forfar, 

 which drew attention to a long overlooked working naturalist. 



The attention thus directed to his work has led me to think it 

 will not be altogether without use if some supplementary material, 

 having especial reference to the Botanical work of Don, be added, 

 although I sincerely wish the task had fallen to one more able to 

 do justice to the subject. My primary object in view is to draw 

 the attention especially of northern botanists to the unverified 

 plants of Don, some of which it is trusted may yet be found. 



To myself, as probably to many other young botanists whose 

 opinion had been gained by perusing the list of errors at the end 

 of "The Student's Flora," or by the various paragraphs in the 6th 

 or 7th edition of Hooker & Arnott's British Flora, or even of Wat- 

 son's Compendium to the Cybele Britannica, Don seemed to 

 rank pre-eminent in the list of loose, if not entirely unreliable re- 

 corders. I pictured to myself some long-legged, red-headed celt 

 loaded with a wallet of garden plants going out surreptiously to 

 place one here, another there, later on recording with a flourish of 

 trumpets the addition of a new plant to the British Flora, and 

 gaining by this detestable trick any amount of kudos and recom- 

 pense from the too easily imposed upon botanists of that day ; 

 and any one who picks out Dr. Arnott's remarks in the British 

 Flora will be induced to overlook this too hasty judgment. 



Mr. Watson in the Cybele Britannica gives considerable details 

 as tothe localities, &c, of Don's plants, and with his usual scientific 

 exactness blames Don's looseness and want of precision in de- 

 scribing localities, &c. : these remarks I shall later on refer to. 

 Mr. Watson was our best Phytogeographer ; he had a very com- 

 plete knowledge of the various records of British plants, and of 

 their geographical distribution, not alone in- Britain but on the 

 Continent; he was extremely keen in detecting "errors" and 

 " impositions ;" he was merciless in punishing and exposing mis- 

 takes ; neither wealth or position for a moment deterred him ; 

 our leading botanists, such as Professor Balfour, Professor Bab- 

 ington, Dr. Trimen, &c, at one time or another fell under his 

 lash ; so that if his opinion be quoted, one can rely that justice 

 will not be influenced by undue mercy. This is what he says : — 

 " It appears that Don was in the habit of bringing the plants, found 

 on his excursions, into his garden for cultivation, and there can be 

 scarcely a doubt that he occasionally gave or sold plants from his 

 garden without explaining that they were not sent direct from 

 native localities but indirectly through his own garden. When 

 we add to this obvious source of error on the part both of sender 



