ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE NEW ZEALAND FLORA 67 



which it is possible to say that in any way it could not 

 have been better clone ; yet this, after spending a pleasant and 

 instructive afternoon in turning over its pictures and pages, is the 

 verdict which we pronounce upon this exceedingly handsome 

 book. That the botany would be thoroughly well done, Mr. 

 Cheeseman's name is sufficient guarantee ; that the illustrations 

 would be careful and accurate was to be expected from one who 

 has already contributed nearly five thousand plates to numerous 

 publications : yet it is possible to be accurate without being 

 interesting, and Mr. Cheeseman contrives to be both, while we 

 are inclined to agree that " the plates contained in these volumes 

 will enhance [Miss Matilda Smith's] already well-earned reputa- 

 tion "; this, we think, is due to some extent to the admirable way 

 in which they have been put upon the stone by Mr. J. N. Fitch, 

 who has infused into them something of his uncle's grace and 

 freedom of treatment — qualities sometimes a little lacking in Miss 

 Smith's work. 



The volumes are, of course, primarily associated with Mr. 

 Cheeseman's Manual of the Neio Zealand Flora (1906), and on that 

 account it has been possible to omit the strictly scientific descrip- 

 tion of the species figured, the space thus gained being devoted to 

 matters of general interest connected with each. Some years 

 ago, permission was granted by the Trustees of the British 

 Museum to allow the reproduction in a reduced form of the folio 

 plates engraved on copper to accompany Solander's descriptions 

 of the plants collected during Cook's first visit to New Zealand 

 in 1769, and a set of impressions from these plates was transmitted 

 to New Zealand ; but it is matter for congratulation that it was 

 decided not to use these, but to provide a series specially drawn 

 for the work. 



Avoiding, then, the matter published in the Manual, Mr. 

 Cheeseman has mentioned under each species the facts connected 

 with its first discovery, and is thus enabled " to draw attention to 

 those pioneers of botanical exploration to whom our first know- 

 ledge of flora is due, and to whom sufficient credit has never been 

 given." The distribution within, and, in the case of non-endemic 

 species without, the Dominion is given ; matters relating to 

 economic value or local tradition are added, as well as facts of 

 scientific interest. In this way a thoroughly readable account of 

 each species is presented, and the book will thus interest many 

 who would be repelled by merely technical descriptions. 



It would be impossible in a necessarily brief notice to give any 

 indication of the numerous points of interest presented, but a 

 few notes made while turning over the pages may be worth trans- 

 cribing. Mr. Cheeseman is well acquainted with the plants of 

 Banks and Solander, of which duplicates from their collections in 

 the National Herbarium were sent to New Zealand, and with the 

 unpublished descriptions of the latter ; these, with the plants 

 of the Forsters, are constantly referred to, and some hitherto 

 unpublished names are, we think undesirably, printed. 



Among the Cruciferse we note a plant, first referred by Mr. 



