124 Bibliographical Notices. 



Mr. Babington has discovered some error. Orobus is merged in 

 Lathyrus. Of the Rubi it is enough to say that they have been evi- 

 dently worked up fully anew, and that there are now forty-three species 

 where four years ago thirty-six were given. Dandelion and the Hawk- 

 bits have nearly all recovered their old familiar names. Fries' s Mono- 

 graph has of course rendered necessary a thorough revision of the 

 Hieracia, but much research is obviously still required : H. Schmidtii 

 (" Tausch ") vanishes, we know not whither : H. Lawsoni divides into 

 H. anglicum (Fries) and H. pallidum (Biv.) : Mr. Babington' s H. 

 denticulatum becomes H. strictum (Fr.), and Smith's is referred to 

 H. prenanthoides : H. inuloides (" Tausch ") is now H. crocatum 

 (Fr.) ; and several new species are added. The four supposed Armerice 

 are of course united : the wonder is how they ever came to be sepa- 

 rated : it is evident that Mr. Babington followed in Boissier's steps 

 far too blindly. The Atriplices are better described than before, 

 but they are not yet in a satisfactory condition. The Salices are pro- 

 digiously reduced, chiefly according to Mr. Leefe's views : few things 

 are wanted in British botany more than a really good monograph 

 of this genus. Our hapless Blue-bell receives its fourth British 

 generic name ! it seems likely, however, that it really ought to be 

 called Endymion, and so romantic an appellation is sure to be popular. 

 Sparganium natans of our ditches becomes 8. minimum (Fr.), the 

 old name being retained for a long-leaved plant which would appear 

 to be rare with us. The Potamogeton doubtfully referred to Fries' s 

 P. zosteraceus is apparently considered a new species, called P. fla- 

 bellatus : Mr. Babington's words lead us to believe that it is common. 

 We now come to the complicated question of the arrangement of the 

 Carices : in the first twenty-eight species the transfer of C. Boenning* 

 hauseniana and C. axillaris to the Hypoarrhense and the change 

 of position of C. elongata are the only alterations : may we take this 

 opportunity of protesting against the received separation of Acro- 

 arrhenae and Hypoarrhense ? The discrepancy of statements about the 

 two species above mentioned shows the uncertainty of the characters ; 

 nor is the grouping at all natural, however convenient : strictly speak- 

 ing, we have in Britain but three series ; the (more or less) rhizomatous 

 group from C. incurva to C. disticha (including C. brizoides, lagopina, 

 and leporina), the uncoloured group with fruit tending to be squar- 

 rose from C. vulpina to C. Boenninghauseniana, and the tawny 

 panicled group (nearly parallel to the last) from C. elongata to C. 

 teretiuscula : Mr. Babington describes sp. 16-21 as "glaucous," 

 translated, we presume, from Andersson's " glaucescentia " : but he 

 ought to have seen that the word here means " becoming glaucous " 

 (see Andersson himself, p. 56), for several of the species are bright 

 green when fresh. The distigmatic section is treated in accordance 

 with Fries' s and Andersson's views, except that C. pulla and C. Gra- 

 hami are unnaturally retained there : whether mere forms of C. vesi- 

 caria or not, they are at all events most closely allied to it, and except 

 in size and colour scarcely differ from some of its not uncommon 

 lowland states. The next division is considerably improved with 

 Andersson's help, except that the fallacious and arbitrary distinction 



