Watsorts Distribution of British Plants. 265 



coloured and admirable figures are supplied. Messrs. Hooker 

 and Arnott have continued their " Contribution towards a Flora 

 of South America and the Islands of the Pacific," to the 

 extent of sixty-four pages. 653 species in this and the pre- 

 ceding number are described, or identified with others pre- 

 viously known. Mr. Bentham contributes M An Account of 

 Indian Labiatae in the Collection of J. F. Royle, Esq., Di- 

 rector of the Hon. East India Company's Botanic Garden at 

 Saharampur." These are the more important papers. The 

 number contains nine plates, and completes the third volume. 



Watson, Hewett Cottrell : Outlines of the Geographical Dis- 

 tribution of British Plants, belonging to the Division Vas- 

 culares, or Cotyledones. 8vo, 334 pages. Edinburgh. 

 Printed for private distribution. 



As this work is not to be purchased, it may to some readers 

 seem unjust to occupy space in pointing it out to them : 

 but not so ; for, to our botanical readers, no book more inter- 

 esting on British plants has ever been published ; and it is, 

 to the best of our knowledge, the most interesting book, in 

 relation to them, which has been published these twenty years. 



After we have premised that the names only, not the cha- 

 racters, of the British genera and species, each and all of 

 which are severally spoken on, are given, and that these are 

 arranged according to the natural orders, we shall give the 

 scope of the work in the words of the author : — 



" The chief differences between this and other works 

 on British plants will be found in the giving of measured 

 altitudes for several species, and the comparative (zonal) 

 altitude of nearly all ; in the substitution of definite and 

 explained divisions of the country, for indicating their topo- 

 graphical extension, in lieu of north, south, east, "west, with 

 vague and varying signification ; in the condensing into a 

 small space the information on this topic, which was scattered 

 through various works ; in the adoption of a comparative 

 scale for expressing the rarity or prevalence of species; 

 and by the addition of their general geographical extension, 

 thereby, in a great measure, indicating the range of climate 



for each The connections evidently existing between the 



vegetation and physical geography of Britain are in great 

 part reserved for a future edition, the mere facts being here 

 the main object ; since it is necessary to learn the latter ac- 

 curately, before attempting to connect them in the relations 

 of cause and effect. Neglect of this precaution has caused 

 many blemishes in the writings of some who have been among 

 the most prone to tax botanists with neglecting the former." 



