I855-] SUGGESTIONS AND QUERIES. 42 1 



in some degree picture to myself the plants of your Alpine 

 summits. The new edit, of your Manual is capital news for 

 me. I know from your preface how pressed you are for 

 room, but it would take no space to append (Eu) in brackets 

 to any European plant, and, as far as I am concerned, this 

 would answer every purpose.* From my own experience, 

 whilst making out English plants in our manuals, it has often 

 struck me how much interest it would give if some notion 

 of their range had been given ; and so, I cannot doubt, your 

 American inquirers and beginners would much like to know 

 which of their plants were indigenous and which European. 

 Would it not be well in the Alpine plants to append the very 

 same addition which you have now sent me in MS.? though 

 here, owing to your kindness, I do not speak selfishly, but 

 merely pro bono Aijiericano publico. I presume it would be 

 too troublesome to give in your manual the habitats of those 

 plants found west of the Rocky Mountains, and likewise those 

 found in Eastern Asia, taking the Yenesei (.''), — which, if I 

 remember right, according to Gmelin, is the main partition 

 line of Siberia. Perhaps Siberia more concerns the northern 

 Flora of North America. The ranges of the plants to the 

 east and west, viz., whether most found are in Greenland and 

 Western Europe, or in E. Asia, appears to me a very interest- 

 ing point as tending to show whether the migration has been 

 eastward or westward. Pray believe me that I am most 

 entirely conscious that the ofily use of these remarks is to 

 show a botanist what points a non-botanist is curious to 

 learn ; for I think every one who studies profoundly a subject 

 often becomes unaware [on] what points the ignorant require 

 information. I am so very glad that you think of drawing up 

 some notice on your geographical distribution, for the area 

 of the Manual strikes me as in some points better adapted 

 for comparison with Europe than that of the whole of North 

 America. You ask me to state definitely some of the points 

 on which I much wish for information ; but I really hardly 



* This suggestion Dr. Gray adopted in subsequent editions. 



