The British NuiuralisL 53 



leaved bilberry " is designated by the specific name " mon- 

 tanum," instead of its good, old, appropriate one, Myrtillus, 

 which, by the way, is adopted for the plant at page 165. of 

 the second volume. Why this unnecessary and (as we be- 

 lieve) unauthorised change of name, calculated to mislead the 

 young, and perhaps somewhat perplex the more experienced 

 botanist? In the same page (57.) " ^'^itis IdaeV (it should 

 have been written " /^accinium Fitis Ida3\a") is called the 

 *' cowberry;" which, though we never heard it before, may, 

 for aught we know to the contrary, be one of its provincial 

 appellations. " The bush," says our author, *' is low and 

 hard, and so is the berry, which, notwithstanding its fine red 

 colour, is generally left to the birds." We can tell him from 

 our own experience, that, in spite of its inferiority in size, and 

 different appearance, it is not unfrequently gathered for sale, 

 and passed off upon those who know no better, — the experi- 

 ment has been attempted upon ourselves, — for the genuine 

 cranberry; and though vastly inferior to that in size, and 

 flavour, and juiciness, it is yet no contemptible fruit for tarts. 

 Again, we read, " In the bogs, at about the same elevation, 

 the cranberry, or crowberry (Oxycoccos palustris), is very 

 frequently met with, but it is harsh and austere." Now^, the 

 English name " crowberry " is appropriated to a very different 

 thing, jE'mpetrum nigrum, a dioecious plant, whose foliage 

 much resembles that of the heaths (isVicse); and, though it 

 may possibly be a local appellation for the cranberry, would 

 have been better omitted, for the sake of avoiding confusion. 

 It ought to have been added, too, that although the fruit of 

 the cranberry may be (as stated, and as its name implies * ) 

 " harsh and severe " when eaten raw, it has an excellent 

 flavour, and is highly and most deservedly esteemed, when 

 preserved and used in confectionary^ It is proverbially said, 

 that " there is no disputing about tastes ; " and therefore we 

 have no right, perhaps, to call in question that of the author, 

 for preferring the fruit of the cloudberry (i^ubus Chamae- 

 morus) to that of the Swedish bramble (i^ubus arcticus) ; and 

 yet this preference does not a little surprise us. 



" The dwarf crimson bramble," we are told, " and more frequently the 

 luscious cloudberry (i?ubus Chamaemorus), are found fast by the margin of 

 the snow, as the limit of vegetation. The first of these is a very pleasant 

 fruit ; but even in the bleakest parts of Scotland it is rare, and it is not 

 very plentiful even in Lapland f j but the cloudberry is more abimdant, and 



* The specific (or, as it is now become, the generic) name, Oxycoccos, is 

 derived from oxysy sharp or sour, and kokkos, a berry. 



-|- Is not this directly at variance with the testimony of Linnaeus, who, 

 though he calls it " rarissima planta," a very rare plant, immediately adds, 



E 3 



