1S98.J Cybele Hibeniica. 279 



love which has been splendidly carried out. The editors draw 

 attention to the new features which they have introduced into 

 the book. To these we shall refer as we meet with them ; 

 every one of them furnishes a marked improvement — with the 

 exception, we think, of the Appendix, to which reference has 

 already been made. Thanks are tendered to a long list of 

 friends and helpers, with a special reference to the influence 

 of A. G. More on the progress of Irish botany during the last 

 quarter century. The list of plants added to the flora during 

 that period is smaller than one might expect — 18 Flowering 

 Plants and 6 Characese. Many of these are critical plants, and 

 half a dozen of them of more or less doubtful standing as 

 natives. This gain to the Irish flora is more than balanced 

 by the number of plants now excluded for one reason or 

 another. The preface to the first edition is next reproduced, 

 followed by a list of the principal books, papers, &c., referring 

 to Irish botan}^ This is a most useful catalogue, covering 18 

 pages ; it seems to us a very great pity that it was not extended 

 — only a few additional pages would have been required— 

 and made a complete bibliography of Irish botany. That 

 desideratum has still to be supplied. In this list, which is 

 wisely arranged in alphabetical, not chronological order, we are 

 somewhat surprised to find the Journal of Botany inserted 

 under Botany, and the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 

 under Irish : this is not sound indexing. 



The introduction contains concise sections devoted to 

 physical features, climate, comparison of Irish and English 

 floras, Irish plants not found in Great Britain, prevalent 

 orders, endemic plants, topographical groups, Irish botanical 

 districts, botanical map, and explanatory notes on the text. 

 The introduction is always the most difficult part of a work 

 of this kind, and in this case it is excellently well done. It is 

 graphic and clear, and each section displays the best of all 

 merits — brevity. The most interesting portion is certainly 

 that which deals with the peculiar plants of the South-west — 

 the Cantabrian and North American groups, and other plants 

 of " Hibernian" type. The Irish and foreign distribution of 

 these is indicated, and the pre- glacial land-connection theory 

 is put forward to account for their presence. 



