58 Bibliographical Notice. 



the English names adopted where the terrible Greek compounds 

 would discourage any but an experienced classic. At the same time, 

 however true in the main or convenient may be M. Thurmann's 

 method of classifying soils according to their relative friability, his 

 subdivisions seem to us rather consequences of the chemical nature 

 of the soil than to be themselves of the first importance. From what 

 is known of the inorganic constituents of plants, it is surely the 

 chemical ingredients which determine the presence or absence, rarity 

 or frequency of certain species, quite as much as the so-called " me- 

 chanical " conditions. 



Mr. Watson has devoted a useful life and much conscientious 

 labour to his favourite branch of botany. Many of our readers will 

 remember the "Outlines of" and "Remarks upon" the "Geogra- 

 phical Distribution of British Plants," — short sketches that gave 

 high promise for the future, which promise is now amply fulfilled. 

 These two preliminary volumes were presently followed (in 1 843) by 

 a more elaborate treatise, somewhat on the scale of M. Lecoq's. 

 This third edition having proved too bulky, Mr. Watson, wisely fore- 

 seeing the hopeless length to which that work would have extended, 

 proceeded (in 1847) to try a shorter plan in the four volumes by 

 which his name has now become so generally known, — the * Cybele 

 Britannica.' 



Of our author's fitness for his self-imposed task there can be no 

 question : we are fortunate in meeting with a writer who, united to a 

 rare judgment in weighing evidence, has a most happy method (all 

 his own) of condensing particulars. His results are expressed with 

 remarkable terseness ; and the caution observed in even suggesting 

 any general views, under the present imperfect data, contrasts very 

 favourably with the proceedings of many other writers on the subject, 

 who have been more ready to advance bold theories than to arrange 

 sober facts. 



It is not our object to discuss the plan and arrangement adopted 

 by Mr. Watson, further than to say that we believe no smaller space 

 could have done justice to the author's labours, since the remarks 

 that follow the statistics of each species in the three earlier volumes 

 of the * Cybele Britannica' are so much to the point, and have 

 contributed in no small degree to our present improved knowledge 

 of the plants ; still, we believe something might have been gained 

 by giving in each case the names of the botanists whose testimony 

 vouched for the occurrence of the plants in the several " provinces " 

 or districts. Might we venture to suggest to future "Cybelists," 

 with the view of giving due prominence to the certainty or uncertainty 

 of the records, some such plan as the following : — 



Suppose two lines to be given to the horizontal distribution of 

 each species, the upper will contain the numerals which represent 

 the "provinces," the second line will show the authorities, e.g. — 



Vinca\ Prov. 1 2 3 4 5 * 7 ** 



minor J Auth. Ho. Br. Wts. Bb. Lg. Dv. 0. 



By " future Cybelists," we wish it to be understood we mean those 



