440 Bibliographical Notices. 



lities inhabited by the species, and the circumstances under which 

 they inhabit them, the author has introduced innumerable notes con- 

 cerning the topography, antiquities, history, scenic beauty, and folk- 

 lore of many of the spots mentioned, and interesting biographical 

 sketches of persons connected with the district. We know of no 

 work at all approaching this, in the skill with which a dry botanical 

 catalogue has been converted into a book of high interest even to the 

 non-botanical reader. 



The volume commences with a general account of the district, 

 describing its limits, soU, water, climate, coast, mountains and hills, 

 Talleys and their rivers. Then follows the Flora, which is made the 

 vehicle for conveying most of the information upon folk-lore, &c., to 

 which we have referred. Then, an interesting tract on "Onr Wild- 

 flowers in their relation to our pastoral life" is introduced ; and the 

 book concludes with " The Fossil Flora of the Mountain Limestone 

 formation of the Eastern Borders in conne.^ion with the Natural 

 History of Coal," by G. Tate, F.G.S. 



There are twelve plates, bearing representations of botanical sub- 

 jects chiefly, and we are sorry to have to add, that they are several 

 of them far from being such as we could have desired. The repre- 

 sentations of the Hieracia do not convey to us much idea of the 

 plants intended. In some few cases also the language employed is 

 scarcely so accurate as we expected from a learned and accomplished 

 person. The tendency to the use of hard words is, however, far less 

 manifest than it was in some of the author's former works. We must 

 be allowed to repeat a wish that has been frequently expressed in 

 these Annals, that writers upon Natural History would take care not 

 only not to go out of their way to use the crabbed terms employed 

 by some German scientific men, but would in all cases endeavour to 

 convey their meaning in simple language whenever it can be done 

 without detriment to science. 



In looking over this Flora we have marked a few points which seem 

 to deserve notice. The nomenclature is that employed by Sir J. E. 

 Smith, but "when they diff^er, the names used in Mr. Babington's 

 Manual and in the British Flora, as edited by Professor Arnott, are 

 also given." We doubt that good judgement is shown therein; for, 

 that that nomenclature is often erroneous appears to be proved by the 

 concurrence of the authors of our two above-named modern Floras in 

 its disuse in many cases. We do not blame Dr. Johnston for not 

 adopting the changes made by either one of the writers of these 

 books, but do think that when they concur, and especially when 

 that concurrence is in accordance with the views of the best modern 

 writers on the Flora of Europe, he should have made his nomen- 

 clature correspond with theirs. 



Ranunculus aquatilis a. " heterophyllus, with none of the leaves 

 hair-like." If so, why call it heterophyllus 1 For it is certainly 

 not the plant so named by other botanists, in which the lower leaves 

 are what Dr. Johnston calls "hair-like," and the upper ones flat. 

 The truth is, that he has attempted to include many difl"erent plants 

 \mder the one name of R. aquatilis, and has therefore rendered it im- 



