Bibliographical Notice, 63 



doubtless many species, hitherto reckoned native, which a stricter 

 and more philosophical inquiry may perchance reduce even below 

 the rank of "denizens," — that being the term used by Mr. Watson 

 for cases of uncertainty. We may instance some of the " colonists," 

 and wayside plants, such as Lepidium Smithii. 



Alphonse DeCandolle is largely quoted, and his views are con- 

 trasted with Mr. Watson's own, in a complete list of the species 

 which are distrusted in Britain, with the terms applied to them 

 in the * Cybele ' and the ' Geographie Botanique.' It would appear 

 that the Continental botanist is somewhat more inclined than our 

 author to give any doubtful case in favour of the suspected plant, 

 since, out of the whole 324, the 'Cybele' allows only 30 to be pos- 

 sibly native, whereas the ■ Geographie ' gives its verdict in favour 

 of 48. 



It is to be remembered that Mr. Watson lays more stress upon the 

 right of private judgment, i. e. upon the nature of the station where 

 the plant is found growing, than upon geographical considerations. 

 Contrary to DeCandolle, he places actual conditions of growth first, 

 range second and supplementary. The faculty of weighing evidence 

 is one most essential to the botanical geographer (p. 84) ; but it is 

 well remarked that this cannot be properly used when weighing book 

 against book only — often good against bad authority. Mr. Watson 

 justly observes that we should look to the competent local botanist 

 for the particulars of the nature of the locality, and too much care 

 cannot be exercised in this kind of observations. It should also be 

 remembered that the general "area" of a species is always somewhat 

 vaguely known : hence the danger of trusting to general works too 

 implicitly. A disputed point might more safely be referred to the 

 testimony of local floras. 



Sufficient attention has hardly yet been paid in England to a 

 strict and exact definition of the kind of localities affected by the 

 different plants (p. 94) ; yet this is a point of the utmost importance 

 towards distinguishing between natives and introduced plants. 



The opinions of different British botanists are contrasted by a 

 comparison between Watson, Babington, and Henslow, for Great 

 Britain ; and between Henslow, Baker, and Gordon, for their respec- 

 tive districts of Cambridge, York, and Moray. These tables (p. 1 10) 

 possess unusual interest ; and we trust they will be carefully studied 

 by those who are engaged upon any local flora. 



Chapter IV. is devoted to a general account of the physical geo- 

 graphy and climate of Great Britain ; but, though indispensable to 

 the right understanding of the future chapters, we do not think any 

 portion of it will require quotation : it must be read as a whole. 



With Chapter V. begins the first table of distribution, of which we 

 reproduce a line, to show how much is here condensed : — 



Anemone 1 Long. Lat. Alt. Zones. Cou. Type. 



nemorosa] i.w.e. s.m.n. c.a.u. 1,2,3,4,5. 85. B, 



which will be easily read as " Found in Ireland, in the west and east ; 

 in the southern, midland, and northern districts of Great Britain ; at 



