THE HORN EXPEDITION TO CENTRAL AUSTRALIA. 403 



minimus it is said, " both much require confirmation " ; a specimen 

 from one of these (Kirkcudbrightshire), collected by Mr. F. li. Coles, 

 is in the British Museum Herbarium. 



Occasionally we find entries which at first sight are extremely 

 puzzling — for example, " Tussilago pctasites x farfara." This 

 startling addition to our list of hybrids is due to erroneous 

 inference. Mr. Elliot found "Tussilago hybrida " in Lightfoot's 

 Flora Scotica as an Annandale plant, and, not knowing that this 

 Avas merely the female form of I'ctasites vuhjaris, concluded that a 

 cross between Butterbur and Coltsfoot was intended. 



"When it is remembered that the whole of these plants — 

 "escapes," extinctions, doubtfuls, hybrids, and tbe like — occupy 

 the same position in the book as the most undoubted natives, it 

 will be seen that Mr. Elliot has not availed himself of the oppor- 

 tunities which a variation of type provides : tbis is furtber 

 evidenced by the printing of the extraordinary abbreviations of 

 the authorities in the same type as the localities. 



The book, however, is well printed, though we do not under- 

 stand why the authorities are separated from the names by a period, 

 thus — '^Thalictnim aipinum. Linn." Without insisting that the 

 authority is really part of the name, it is certain tbat apart from it 

 it has no meaning. The proofs have not been carefully read, or 

 we should hardly find "Camelina saliva," "Pinquicuia" (twice), 

 " Daucus Carrota," "Ornithogallum," " Geranium pheum," "Arcto- 

 staphylos ulva-ursi," "tSpirea" (thrice), " Crystopteris," and others 

 of the kind : the authorities for the species are occasionally omitted. 



We sometimes hear of a sea-captain who, after many years' 

 service in all parts of the world and in all kinds of weather, becomes 

 sea-sick when he crosses the Channel. So Mr. Scott Elliot, who 

 has botanized in South Africa, has collected in Madagascar, has 

 added greatly to our knowledge of Tropical Africa and its flora, 

 and has conducted an adventurous expedition to liuweuzori, has 

 found in the enumeration of the plants of his own small county a 

 task beyond his powers of accomplishment. It may not be true that 

 genius consists of "an infinite capacity for taking pains"; but it is 

 certain that such a capacity is essential to any one who wishes to 

 produce a standard local flora. 



The Horn Expedition to Central Australia.''' 



In his Eeport, Prof. Ralph Tate gives an interesting account of 

 the Larapintme and Central Eremiau Floras, together with an 

 enumeration of the plants of the former. These regions are in 

 Central Australia, south of the Tropic of Capricorn, but considerably 

 to the north-west of that vast expanse of water, the Northern Lake 

 Eyre. In his Handbook of Extra-tropical South Australia Prof. Tate 

 demarked the area occupied by the Eremian Flora and its sub- 

 divisions, the northern and central regions being separated from 

 each other by. a latitudinal line through Charlotte Waters. Now 



Eeport of the Horn Expedition to Central Australia. Part iii. March, 1896. 



