36 Bibliographical Notices. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



A History of British Ferns. By Edward Newman, F.L.S. London, 

 Van Voorst. 8vo. 



We rejoice to find that Mr. Van Voorst is not confining the 

 valuable series of Natural History works which is issuing from his 

 establishment to zoology, and beg to congratulate him upon the 

 beauty of the first botanical portion of the collection. 



The ferns have long attracted the attention not only of botanists 

 but of all admirers of nature by their great elegance, and indeed we 

 know of nothing more worthy of admiration than a lofty hedge 

 bank, such as may be often seen in the western parts of England, 

 covered by these beautiful plants of numerous species, of all sizes 

 and in different stages of growth. We have often been asked to 

 point out some work which, combining a popular account, with 

 scientific descriptions and characteristic figures, should be equally 

 fitted for the drawing-room or the study, for the amateur or the bo- 

 tanist, and have been compelled to acknowledge that no such book 

 existed. These requisites are at length answered by the work before 

 us, which we are quite convinced cannot be surpassed in the ele- 

 gance of its numerous figures, equally deserving of praise for their 

 beauty and correctness, and claiming our admiration by the com- 

 ])leteness of its account of each species, and the philosophical views 

 and pure love of science displayed in it. 



Agreeing as we do with the author in most of his conclusions, we 

 think it right to state a few points in which, in our opinion, the 

 work admits of improvement. We consider the want of any distinct 

 specific characters as a great imperfection; for although the distinct- 

 ive points are fully stated in the account of each species, yet much 

 difficulty is thereby introduced into the determination of the several 

 plants. More exact references to the works of authors quoted, and 

 the introduction of authorities for those localities in which the author 

 has not himself seen the plants growing, even though he may have 

 had specimens before him, would have been desirable. 



A large portion of the introduction is occupied by an account of 

 Mr. Ward's plan for growing plants in closed cases ; a plan deser- 

 ving of much greater attention than it has yet received, from its value 

 in causing the healthy growth of ferns, heaths, saxifrages, and other 

 plants in the centre of the smoky atmosphere of London, its use in 

 promoting the successful transport of plants by sea, and its elegance 

 when employed as an ornament of the drawing-room. 



Great stress is laid upon the venation as affording the best ge- 



