236 THE NATURAL niSTORY EEVIEW. 



no independent thinker can for a moment suppose that the progress 

 of the analysis or division of types has reached its limit. M. 

 Jordan's work shows how far it has already been carried, and he 

 admits that it must be carried further. It is as certain as anything 

 in the future, that the number of book species in local Ploras will go 

 on increasing year after year, till the current of thought among 

 naturalists has completely changed its direction. 



This want of agreement among botanists as to what is to be con- 

 sidered a species, and what a variety, is a matter of common 

 notoriety, as well as of the greatest importance. It goes far to 

 prove that the forms, about which there is so much uncertainty, are 

 of trivial importance in comparison with the general types of which 

 they are a part. The subject may be illustrated by the comparison 

 of any two local Ploras, and for our purpose it may be well to select 

 as examples the two British Floras, which take the most opposite 

 views regarding species. Bentham'^ Handbook approaches, we con- 

 ceive, as nearly as possible to the Linnean canon in its estimate of 

 the value of species, while Babington in his Manual, taking a 

 narrower view of the definition of a species, has a considerably greater 

 number, though not nearly so many as some continental botanists. 

 According to Bentham the number of British flowering plants is 

 1228, of which 1057 correspond exactly to the same number of 

 species in Babington. It is only with respect to the remaining 171 

 species of Bentham' s estimate that there is any difference of opinion. 

 Of that number, 116 are divided by Babington into two, twenty-six 

 into three, thirteen into four, eight into five, two into six, three into 

 seven, one into eight, one into twelve, and one into forty. In no 

 case does a single type in Babington represent two in Bentham. The 

 tendency towards synthesis in the Handbook, and towards analysis 

 in the Manual, is without exception. We may further remark that 

 there is never, or so seldom as to be as good as never, any inter- 

 lacement of forms, but that a single type of Bentham corresponds 

 to two or more of Babington's. One or two exceptions in TJlmus 

 and Bumex may be explained by the fact that Bentham has in these 

 cases not gone far enough in the direction of synthesis to arrive at 

 the true specific type. 



If our space would permit of our extending this comparison to 

 other local Floras, we should find everywhere the same want of 

 agreement among botanists. The more the species are what is called 

 critical, the less the chance of unanimity. In every case too it will 



