152 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



the term " x\tlantic " defined by him " as having reference only to 

 distribution within Britain " was unfortunate as confining the 

 conception to the British flora as a detached item from the 

 Continental flora. The year before the first volume of Watson's 

 Cyhele appeared, Edward Forbes issued his remarkable address 

 on types of distribution, undoubtedly inspired by Watson's 

 preliminary essay, but he had a wider grasp of the subject, and 

 basing his remarks upon geological causes, divided the native 

 plants into five groups. The group least represented occurs in the 

 mountains of the west and south-west of Ireland, allied to species 

 found in the north of Spain ; he specified twelve, but reduced to 

 the modern concept of species, they are the following nine : 

 Saxifraga Geimi, S. umbrosa, S. hyimoides, Erica Mackaiana, E. 

 mediterranea, Daboecia ijolifolia, Arbutus Unedo, Pinguicula 

 grandiflora, and Arabis ciliata. He further referred to others 

 found in the Channel Islands. The first group he termed 

 " Asturian," the second " Galilean " types. He showed that the 

 derivation was due to a former land-connection, unsubmerged 

 during the Glacial Epoch. Engler held that the reimmigration of 

 the Atlantic element took place in post-glacial times, and Dr. 

 Scharff dealt incidentally with it in his chapter on the Lusitanian 

 fauna published in 1899. We hope shortly to have the opportunity 

 of presenting our readers with Dr. Stapf 's interesting paper in full. 



The useful handbook Flora of the Upper Gangetic Plain, by 

 Mr. J. E. Duthie, which we have from time to time had occasion 

 to notice, has now a companion in the Flora of the Presidency of 

 Madras, by Mr. J. S. Gamble (Adlard). It is proposed to issue 

 this in parts of 192 pages each, of which we have received the 

 first instalment (which contains 200). The arrangement of 

 Bentham and Hooker is followed : the enumeration is here brought 

 down to Aquifoliacece. Each genus is described, with a clavis to 

 the species and an indication of the geographical distribution and 

 of the uses, when any. A general introduction, with a key to the 

 families, will be issued when the work is complete. The price, as 

 contrasted with that of Mr. Duthie's book, seems excessive — 8s. 

 net for 200 pages as against 3s. for 266 somewhat smaller : the 

 latter, however, is printed at Calcutta. 



At the present time a note by Correa de Serra (1750-1823) 

 published in his " Notice respecting several Vegetables used as 

 Esculents in North America " (Trans. Hort. Soc. iv, 443, 1822) 

 may be worth reproducing : " The Capsella bursa pastoris ... is 

 an esculent plant in Philadelphia, brought to market in large 

 quantities in the early season. The taste, when boiled, approaches 

 that of the Cabbage, but is softer and milder. This plant varies 

 wonderfully in size and succulence of leaves, according to the 

 nature and state of the soil where it grows. Those from the 

 gardens and highly cultivated spots near Philadelphia come to a 

 size and succulence of leaf scarcely to be believed without seeing 

 them. They may be easily bleached by the common method, and 

 certainly in that state would be a valuable addition to the list of 

 delicate culinary vegetables." 



