nEviEws, 191 



Occurrence of Nika edulis, near Falmotdh.— 'My friend, Dr. Yigurs, found in a pint of boilnd 

 Prawns, taken in a shrimper's net, at Hilford, six miles from Falmouth, on the 14th. of May, 

 fourteen fine female specimens of the "rare" A^ika edulis. Twelve of them were loaded with 

 ova.--W. P. Cocks, Falmouth, July 19th., 1851. 



These plants do not occur m the Flora Bevoniensis, (Jones and Kingston, 1820. J— Aconitum 

 najjellus- AXolfs Bane, or Monk's Hood. Found near brook at Bidwell and banks of River Dart, 

 near Staventon Bridge,— Flowers in May. Anemone Pulsatilla— Vasque flower. Found near River 

 Dart, about a mile above Hood Cottages.— Flowers in April. Asarum Furopecum.— Common 

 Asarabacca. Found near Truostroct, by William Gillard, Esq.— Flowers in May. Lcucojum 

 <c«;«V«>»— Summer Snowflakc. Found in boggy marsh near Totiles "Weir, growing amongst willows. 

 — S. Haxnapord, Jun., Totnes, Devon., May 24th., 1851. 



llMinns. 



Historia Naturalis Orcadensis. Zoology. Fart I. Being a Catalogue of the 

 Mammalia and Birds hitherto observed in the Orkney Islands. By W. 13, 

 Baikie, M. D., and Egbert Heddle. Edinburgh: Printed by J. and W. 

 Patterson, 52, Bristo Street. 1848. 8vo., p.p. 104. 



The value of carefully compiled local Faunas and Floras, is now so generally- 

 admitted by naturalists, that we feel we are rendering a service to our readers 

 in calling their attention to the above catalogue, which we regret has only 

 lately fallen under our notice. The compilers have carefully given the author- 

 ities for each species introduced into this list, which is a larger one both of 

 mammalia and birds than we should have expected. Various Faunas of Orkney, 

 by other writers, have as.sisted in rendering this the most complete hitherto 

 given to the public. It would occupy more space than we can well aiford 

 to give many extracts; we shall therefore content ourselves with laying before 

 our readers one taken at random from page 88. It is a fair example of the 

 general style and amount of the remarks on each species: — 



"Great Auk, (Alca impennis.) This bird has not visited Orkney for many years. One was 



seen oft' Fair Isle, in June 1798, A pair bred in Papa Westray for several years; where they 



I were named the liiug and Queen of the Auks. Shortly after Mr. Bullock's Aisit to Orkney, in 



11813, one of these birds was shot and sent to him; and since that time the Great Auk has 



apparently forsaken our islands." 



The Authors, in the preface, express a wish for corrections or additions, and 

 fve shall feel much gratification if any such be aflforded them in consequence 

 9f this notice, in the pages of "The Naturalist." 



\A Manual of Botany: being an Introduction to the study of the Structure^ 

 Bhysiology, and Classification of Plants. By John Hutton Balfour, M.D, 

 F. L. S., F. R. S. E., Professor of Medicine and Botany in the University of 

 Edinburgh. Second Edition. Forming vol. xiii of the Cabinet Edition of 

 the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana. London: Griffist and Co., 1851. 



Any person reading the above title-page, and knowing- the high character of 

 )r. Balfour as a botanist, would be disposed to think that he had got hold 



