BRITISH PLANTS 133 



taken from pre-Linnean British authors, chiefly from Gerard and 

 Eay — a beautiful photogravure portrait of the latter forming the 

 frontispiece to the volume — followed by a number of references to 

 the more important works in which the plant has been described, 

 under the name adopted or under others : to each reference the 

 date is appended. No attempt is made to include folk-names, 

 although one English synonym is given for each species when such 

 name is generally known. A good deal of attention has been given 

 to distribution, which in many cases is illustrated by useful maps. 

 In the matter of classification, the subdivision of orders is 

 carried out very thoroughly ; many of the subdivisions are new : 

 thus of the three subclasses of Engler's Archichlamydeae, two are 

 here first estabhshed, and Populus is grouped under four series, 

 all of them new. Although the numerous subdivisions of species 

 which make some Continental books practically unworkable is 

 comparatively restrained, there are amply sufficient here to tax 

 the observation of the collector ; thus of Atriplex imtula four 

 varieties and three forms of one of these are described : the 

 reference appended to the authority for some of the names has a 

 somewhat strange appearance — one does not at first sight recog- 

 nize that " var. crecta forma crassa Moss and Wilmott in Camb. 

 Brit. Fl. ii. 174 " actually refers to the page in the present volume 

 on which the name appears. 



The book is handsomely printed, but might have been better 

 arrayed. It would perhaps be too much to expect that a new 

 page would be begun for each species, but certainly each family 

 should start on a fresh one. It is not easy to understand why 

 the genera should be printed in small black type while the species 

 are in large capitals. The different types are however on the whole 

 judiciously employed ; and the use of a large quantity of small but 

 clear type allows the inclusion of a vast amount of information. 



A few names will come to most botanists as new : Pojnilus taca- 

 mahacca Miller (1768) supersedes P. candicans Aiton (1789) ; Oxyria 

 appears as Bheum digynum Wahlenberg. Mesemhryanthe'nnim 

 edule occurs for the first time in a British flora, being "naturalized 

 near the sea on cliffs, rocks, old walls, and hedgebanks in the 

 Channel Islands, Cornwall (including the Scilly Isles) and in the 

 Isle of Wight"; Quercus Ilex and Q. Cerris are also regarded as 

 naturalized in southern England ; Salsola Tragus, " not indi- 

 genous," is included as having been found in various localities. 

 The genus Salsola, by the way, is contributed by Mr. C. E. Salmon; 

 the Rev. E. Marshall has undertaken Betula, a genus at which he 

 has long worked ; the rest of the book is by Dr. Moss, with the 

 assistance of Mr. Wilmott in Atriplex and of Dr. E. J. SaUsbury 

 in Salicornia. 



Turning to Mr. Hunnybun's plates, it is to be noted that 

 "each plant or portion selected has been drawn natural size," and 

 is " reproduced without reduction or enlargement " : "each drawing 

 has been made from a fresh plant, the name of which has been 

 vouched for by some competent authority whose letter of identifi- 

 cation " — and we assume also the specimen — " is preserved in the 



