IRISH TOPOGKAPHICAL BOTANY 317 



the last edition of the London Catalofjue (1895). At that time, 

 Messrs. Colgaii and Scully's second edition of Cybele Uibeniica was 

 in an advanced state of preparation. Mr. Praeger states that its 

 puhlication "made Irish Topoyraphical Ijutany a -^o&Qihility'' \ and 

 that the latter "may fairly be described as a companion to" the 

 former. This is curiously exact, even as regards bulk ; the volumes 

 weigh almost precisely the same (about 2^ lb.) : both are beauti- 

 fully printed on good paper, and suitably bound. The later work 

 excels in its maps, the production of which has delayed its appear- 

 ance for a month or two ; the large one facing the title-page and 

 those illustrating the petrography and orography of the country, 

 are especially valuable. 



The chief point of contrast between the two books lies in the 

 subdivision of the country. Cybele retains the twelve districts of 

 the first edition; Mr. Praeger has adopted H. C. Watson's system 

 of vice-counties, making forty in all. These correspond with the 

 counties, except Galway and Cork (with three divisions apiece), 

 Kerry, Tipperary, Mayo, and Donegal (with two) ; bringing the 

 arrangement into substantial agreement with that now generally 

 adopted in Great Britain. The Introduction treats each of these 

 briefly, but adequately; giving the area, greatest elevation, soils, 

 lakes, rivers, &c., together with the number of species at present 

 known to occur, and a list of those which are rare, or restricted to 

 the vice-county. 



Almost every page of this Introduction will repay careful 

 reading, and the average Englishman has a good opportunity 

 of correcting his ignorance as regards the sister isle — e. <j. it 

 may be news to most of us that "Ireland is, for its size, the 

 flattest island in the world"; that "Kerry has the same average 

 temperature in December as Bordeaux and Kome " ; while "in 

 July, bligo is no warmer than Archangel"; and that "the Central 

 Plain of Ireland is the largest tract of Carboniferous Limestone in 

 Western Europe." 



The total Flora (exclusive of Characece, which, however, are 

 fully treated at the end) is reckoned at about 1160 species, on the 

 basis of the current London Catalo(jue; which Mr. Praeger reduces 

 to 1019 species, or 1138 species and subspecies, in his arrangement. 

 The number of discoveries made in recent years makes it probable 

 that this aggregate will still be considerably increased when the 

 country has been more thoroughly explored. 



The names adopted in the Cybele are retained throughout; 

 wisely, doubtless, considering the state of flux to which the 

 prevailing fashion has reduced our nomenclature. Of Watson's 

 "types," the British is represented in Ireland by no less than 

 98 per cent., the Germanic by only 11-7 per cent. To the North 

 American group Hieracium auratum, Fr. might well have been 

 added. 



Sections are devoted to the plants of the sea-coast ; of sandy and 

 gravelly soils, of bogs, of marshes, of rivers and of lakes ; they are 

 models of accuracy and terseness, revealing the mind of a man who 

 knows his subject, and not merely knows about it. This, indeed, 

 applies generally to the book, which is singularly free from repetitions 



