380 CHAPTER OF CRITICISM. 



a crystalline structure, and appear as if the inspissated bile had suddenly con- 

 creted. 



I am, dear Sir, yours truly, 

 To Neville Wood, Esq. J. L. Levison. 



The Scientific Name of the Pied Wagtail. 

 To the Editor of the Naturalist. 



My dear Sir, — I perceive that Mr. Thompson, in the Annals of Natural 

 History (p. 181), appears to believe that the Linnsean appellation, Motacilla 

 alba, should be retained for our Pied Wagtail, because " the two characters which 

 form the description of M. alba in the Systema Natures are found in our bird. 

 These are, * pectore nigro, rectricibus duabus lateralibus dimidiato oblique albis.' " 

 I cannot see the force of this argument. It is pretty evident that ours was not 

 the Wagtail Linnaeus described under the name of M. alba ; and therefore, how- 

 ever near it may approach to the true M. alba, if it be really" a distinct species, 

 it ought certainly to loose that appellation. Mr. Gould appears certainly correct 

 here ; but why he has deemed it necessary to coin a new name (M. Yarrellii), I 

 know not. The British species has been described more than once (previous to 

 Mr. Gould's truly laudable discovery) under the name of M. maculosa, which, 

 being perfectly appropriate, I see no reason for altering. Our nomenclature is 

 already sufficiently stocked with synonyms. 



Believe me, yours sincerely, 



Bewsey House, Warrington, Peter Rylands. 



May 4, 1838. 



Relative Advantages of the Linn^ean and Natural Systems of Botany. 

 To the Editor of the Naturalist. 



My dear Sir, — When I sent you a notice of the most remarkable works of the 

 present day on British Botany (p. 68), I had no intention of provoking Mr. Lan- 

 kester into a discussion of the merits of the natural system, though I could 

 almost swear, from the list of books he had given you, that he must have been 

 pupil of Dr. Lindley's. I should not shrink from taking up the gauntlet he noA 

 seems to have thrown down for me, if it were possible to reply at length without 

 allusion to living authors. But Dr. Lindley is brought forward so prominently, 

 and being, as is well known, the great champion of the natural system in Britain, 

 while I was apparently combating with Mr. Lankester, I should in reality be 

 attacking Dr. Lindley ; and thus my literary spear, if good for any thing, must 



