224 NOTICES OF BOOKS, 
perties and economical and other uses, and a chapter is devoted to the 
Phyto-geographical division of the globe, including Schouw's Phyto- 
graphical Regions, and Meyer’s Phyto-graphical Zones. Our know- 
ledge of the distribution of vegetables is yet far too limited to enable 
us to draw anything like accurate limits and to found theories; but 
writers should be careful to collect what information does exist on so 
important a subject, if they would wish to avoid falling into very grave 
errors. Our attention was caught at p. 579 of the Manual by the ob- 
servation that “the Murrichi or Ita Palm, the Phytelephas, or Ivory 
Palm, and the Victoria regia, are peculiar to Guiana. Now of the first 
the Murrichi (Mauritia flexuosa) the localities given by Kunth are :— 
* [n pratis provinciarum Maragnamiensis, Parüensis, Fluminis Nigri: 
similibus locis provenit in Guiana Gallica, in Surinama, Berbice et 
Essequebo, in provinciis Cumanensi et Caracasana, ad ostia Orinoci et 
prope montem Duida: nec non in Peruvis locis depressis reperitur 
secundum Pavonium." Of the Victoria, it has been explained (see 
Bot. Mag., under Tab. 4275—4278) that it has very extended localities 
in the still waters of the whoie of the warm parts of eastern south 
America, in the same way as the Nelumbium Jamaicense occupies 
the Lagoons in the warm parts of Eastern America north of the line; 
while in xb wie to Phytelephas, some account of that interesting 
Palm, in the present number of our Journal, shows that there is no 
sia whatever for stating it to be a native of Guiana at all! It 
inhabits Peru and Columbia. 
The illustrations of the natural families in Dr. Balfour’s Manual 
chiefly relate to British or European individuals; those of Dr. Asa 
Gray mainly to American ones. 
