1 2 REVIEWS. 



bonny burn which makes its way through it, in alternate stream, cascade, and pool, 

 .stream :md cascade again, and seven o'clock in the evening finds most of the party 

 some few had deserted early in the day at the scene of the morning breakfast. 

 But, ahis, our host had not calculated upon an evening foray, as well as a morning 

 raid, and the late furnishing of comestibles was but scant compared with the early 

 actually there was not enough. One ef the party we detected we almost think 

 it was our friend of Madras laying violent hands on some rather musty beef- bones 

 in the pantry, which the host had been ashamed to bring out. 



u Then came the dispersion. Some, unused to the exertion, must stop at the 

 inn ; some lagged on the road ; some stopped at the half-way village ; and a few 

 only, with the professor and his veteran lieutenant, marched into town at ten 

 o'clock, well tired, but well satisfied, and one at least of the party to remember the 

 day as one of the green spots in life's retrospect, which, like a thing of beauty. 



1 Is a joy for ever.' " 



Then we have u Monthly Illustrations," which will be a guide to the 

 tyro botanist as to what plants he may find in each of the twelve months. 

 Lastly, we have a chapter on the economic properties of British wild 

 plants; one on "Native Medicinal Plants" used in regular medicinal 

 practice, and on those chiefly employed " popularly," in which we find that 

 the herbalists and old wives go in direct opposition to the saying, " that 

 what is sweet to the mouth is good for the stomach ;" for we do not find 

 one plant in the list given that is not a most disagreeable bitter. This 

 our readers can be made practically aware of by tasting the " tansey," 

 " wormwood," and several others. We doubt not but that this little work, 

 unpretending though it be, will be a great help to many a beginner in the 

 delightful study of our " wild plants and flowers." 



A POPULAR HISTORY OF BRITISH MOSSES; comprising a General Account 

 of their Structure, Fructification, Arrangement, and General Distribution. 

 By R. M. Stark, F.B.S. Royal 16mo. Price 10s. 6d. Pp., 324. 

 With 20 Plates, coloured, representing 55 species. London : Lovell 

 Reeve. 1854. 



STRANGE though it may appear, this is the first work on the British mosses 

 which tells us about them in a popular and pleasant style, and, at the same 

 time, gives us the important and scientific descriptions of them, without 

 which we would be unable however much we might be attracted by their 

 beauty to distinguish one from the other. We purposely omit mention- 

 ing W. Gardiner's " Lessons on Mosses," which, though a delightful little 

 work, did not, we think, sufficiently combine the utile cum inutile freely 

 rendered, the scientific part with the popular. 



The introduction contains a very interesting account of the uses of the 

 mosses, which are more than, at first sight, one would imagine. Mr. 

 Stark gives them very little credit for usefulness in a medical point of 



