i> 



1909. Reviews, 155 



The Systematic Section gives all necessar}- particulars about the 

 stations of species and varieties. A few remarks about special points 

 may not be out of place here ; the reviewer's personal knowledge of the 

 district is, however, very limited. 



Ranunculus scoticus, E. S. Marshall. — The local abundance of this 

 Scottish-Highland plant, especially in Achill, is rather surprising ; it has 

 not hitherto been detected in S. Scotland or N. England. vStill more 

 decidedl}' northern or subarctic species occur in \V. IVIayo ; viz., Cochkaria 

 ^ranlaiidica, L., and Euphrasia foulaensis^ Towns, 



Lavatera arhorea, Iv. — It is most satisfactory to find this admitted as 

 *' without question native " on sea-cliffs and stacks in Clare, as its status 

 in our Islands has been called in question by Mr. Rouy. 



Saxifraga unihrosa, L. — Mr. Praeger says that •' the var.'J. serratifolia Don 

 and punctata Don are connected by many intermediates with the type, 

 and in Ireland at least cannot be regarded as distinct." But does the 

 type, with ovate-oblong, crenate-dentate foliage, grow wild in Ireland.? 

 Outside Cork and Kerr}-, the prevailing, if not the only form appears to 

 be punctata. Where this is associated with serratifolia, there are many 

 connecting links ; but these are probably due to crossing, as 6". iiinbrosa, 

 S. Gcuni, and 6'. hirsuta evidently hybridize with great readiness. The 

 crenate Pyrenean leaf-type of .S". Geuni is decidedly rare in Kerry, where 

 the sharpl3'-toothed var. serrata, Syme (dentata, Wats.) abounds. 



Cuscuia Trifolii, Bab. — This is probably a true native on sand}- coasts 

 (growing on Lotus, &c ), though introduced in clover fields. 



Rhinant/ius Crista-galii, L., var. faltax, must be expunged; R. fallax, 

 Winim., and Grub, being a hybrid with R. /najor^ Ehrh. My Clonbur 

 plant so named is R. stenophyllus^ Schur. 



Taxus baccata, L. — There is a valuable note on the xSir.Jastigiala (Lindl.). 



Habenaj-ia albida^ Br. — Our Mount Gable (W. Mayo) station is erroneous ; 

 the specimens are clearly H. intacta, Benth., growing off the limestone. 



Allium Schanoprasion, L. — There is no need to question its right to rank 

 as a native, for we found it over about two miles of thoroughly wild 

 ground, remote from cultivation. The summers of 1895-6 being verv 

 dry, it was quite dwarf and flowerless ; but on removal to garden ground 

 it at once increased to the normal size, and bloomed freely. 



Carex aguatilisy Wahl. — The usual Irish and Scottish form (elatior, Bab., 

 IVatsoni, Syme) appears to be the Scandinavian type ; at any rate, that is 

 the opinion of Pfarrer G. Kiikenthal, who is the best modern authority. 



Agrostis vulgaris, With., var. pumila (L.) is not a starved state, but a 

 diseased condition, caused by a fungus {Ustilago) ; it at once reverts to 

 type when cultivated, as was proved by the late Rev. W. R. Linton. 



As the above comments sufficiently indicate, the reviewer believes that 

 this is a book of exceptional excellence. A short notice cannot do justice 

 to its good qualities, which must be appreciated in detail. Its plan in- 

 volves a certain amount of repetition ; but nothing is lost by that, and 

 ISIr. Praeger has greatly increased the debt of gratitude which we already 

 owed to his energy and enthusiasm. 



Edward S. Marshai,!,. 

 Taunton. 



