EEMINISCENCES. Ixxix 



rendering the work not only valuable as a guide, but also of the 

 greatest charm to one interested in this study. Beside the descrip- 

 tions and valuable comments, the area of each plant is given, 

 together with the geographical distribution throughout the British 

 Isles, so far as was then known ; the Watsonian provinces being 

 adopted. The result of the publication of this work was a great 

 increase in the number of the students who gave special attention 

 to the Bubi, and all that has since been done in this study among 

 British botanists owes its origin to The British Bubi. The fundamental 

 knowledge of the plants, and the higher critical power of our modern 

 British students, have been mainly gained by the use of this book. 



The seventh edition of The Manual (1874), contained the 

 condensed descriptions of the Bubi given in the above work, with 

 the same arrangement of the species, two varieties, B. Briggsii 

 and B. Beuteri being the only additions; but between 1869 and 

 1878 very much work had been done by British specialists in the 

 Bubi ; many of the students had availed themselves of the help of 

 Professor Babington in determining their plants (help always given, 

 with the prompt, courteous kindness, so characteristic of our leader 

 in this study) ; the result being that very much material of great 

 value and interest had accumulated ; and in the Journal of Botany 

 (1878), Professor Babington gave a series of papers. Notes on Bubi, 

 in which he carefully reviewed certain critical species, with a fulness 

 so characteristic, and a courteous respect for the opinions of other 

 workers, so specially his own. The plants more especially treated 

 being : B. ramosus, B. Warrenii, B. festivus, B. obliquus, B. mutabilis,. 

 B. cavatifolius, B. emersistylus, B. heteroclitus, B. Purchasii, some of 

 which were retained as additions to our flora. 



The salient features of these " Notes on Eubi " were afterwards 

 given in the eighth edition of The Manual (1881). This was the last 

 edition published of this great work, Avhich for fifty years had been 

 the text-book of all advanced British botanists. In a footnote on 

 page 106, the author gives evidence that a closer examination of 

 continential herbaria, and the study of the works of Genevier and 

 Focke, had influenced him. He says, "When the continental plants are 

 better known, it is feared that considerable changes of nomenclature 

 will be necessary." This sentence was characteristic of the writer, 

 who appears to have been always ready to receive new opinions, if 

 those opinions appeared the more worthy of acceptance. In the 

 eighth edition of The Manual, forty-eight species and twenty-seven 

 varieties are given, and in addition to the plants noticed in "Notes 

 on Rubi," B. hemistemon and B. hirtifolius are described as species, 

 and B. adornatus as a variety of B. folios^is. 



After the publication of this edition of The Manual, Professor 

 Babington seems to have very closely studied the Herbarium speci- 

 mens of Genevier and typical specimens from Dr. Focke, and to 

 have carefully compared our British species with these ; to have 

 also given much attention to the published works of these great 



