BRITISH PLANTS 135 



we should place among the figures of first rank those of the 

 Scotch Fir, the Water Plantain, the Arum, the Fritillary, the 

 Twayblade and the Eagged Eobin : all these are excellent. But 

 the very accuracy of Mrs. Perrin's reproduction of individual 

 specimens has in many cases resulted in an inadequate represen- 

 tation of the plant presented. Even Mr. Hunnybun's plates 

 occasionally suffer from this individuality, but we are inclined 

 to think that in his case a wide general knowledge has enabled 

 him to interpret the individual in the light of the species, whereas 

 Mrs. Perrin seems to have restricted herself absolutely to what 

 was actually before her ; nor has she always selected characteristic 

 specimens. x\s examples of this may be mentioned the otherwise 

 excellent figures of the Bur-reed, the flowers of which are too 

 young to show the " golden tufts of ripe stamens," the Arrowhead, 

 and the EjnjMctis called latifolia: this last, so far as it goes, could 

 hardly be better, but almost all the flowers are unexpanded. The 

 Bog Asphodel is somewhat past its prime ; the example of Orchis 

 mascula does the species scant justice ; the figure of the Corn 

 Cockle hardly adequately represents a very beautiful plant, either 

 in the colour of both flower and leaves (many of the greens 

 throughout are susceptible of improvement) or in the size of the 

 former. The representations, seeing how much space was at 

 the artist's disposal, are sometimes disappointingly inadequate; 

 the Sheep's Sorrel, for example, might well have shown the under- 

 ground growth which makes the plant so terrible a nuisance in 

 gardens where it has attained a hold : the figure in Curtis's Flora 

 Londinensis may be contrasted with this. The only really un- 

 satisfactory plate in the book is that of the Stitchworts ; this 

 according to the list contains three, but according to the text four 

 species ; we are inclined to think the former correct, as we can 

 find nothing in the least resembling S. palustris, either in flowers 

 or foliage. 



Mr. Boulger's introduction and " descriptive notes " are of 

 course accurate. The arrangement followed is that of Engler ; 

 admitting that this is " the best linear grouping as yet achieved," 

 we have doubts as to the wisdom of adopting it in a popular 

 volume ; many folk who have no claim to be considered botanists 

 have a sort of general notion that things begin with Banunculacea. 

 To the scientific botanist the book hardly appeals — it contains 

 only 290 species and entirely omits grasses and sedges, as well as 

 " the less attractive water-plants " , hence we rather regret the 

 care and cost which must have attended the production of the 

 coloured analytical plates. A little more botany might we think 

 have been added ; thus, when describing a species something 

 might have been said about its allies — e. g. under S'parganium 

 erectum some indication might have been given of the characters 

 of S. simplex. The letterpress is an excellent example of a 

 successful combination of science and popular lore, thus differing 

 in this respect from most popular books. The English names 

 which head the description are occasionally unfamihar — e. g. 

 "Good Friday Grass," a purely local name for Luzula campcstris — 



