120 On a Systematic Arrangement of Colours. 
displayed by the clouds and the haze on different occasions, 
which were occasioned by the refractive powers of the nu- 
biform particles of water, and which I wished to register in 
my Meteorological Journal. The terms in common use, 
such as red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, &c. were 
not sufficiently dannite: for of all these there are numerous 
varieties. That any nomenclature should be constructed 
which shall precisely define every combination and shade of 
colour is almost impossible, since the varieties and approxi- 
mations of one colour towards another are infinite, as they 
depend on the proportions of mixtures, the quantities of 
which we may suppose capable of being varied infinitely ; 
but still a more perfect set of names might be arranged 
than has as yet been done. I am surprised that scientific 
persons, but botanists in particular, have not before this at- 
tempted something of the kind. How different is the red 
of the flower of the peony from that of the papaver rheeas! 
How almost contrasted does the brilliant red of the scarlet 
lychnis appear to the red of the papaver orientale called the 
monk’s-hood poppy! Who is there who cannot discover 
much difference in the colours of the flowers of the spring 
crocus, of the field ranunculus, and of the evening prim- 
rose, and are not these termed yellow flowers ? What di- 
stinction between the blue of the sonchus ceruleys from 
that of the field hyacinth ! 
The colour we call green has nearly as many varieties : 
we hear of grass-green, apple-green, &c. but these terms 
do not express the numerous kinds of green observable in 
different leaves and other’natural productions. The word 
brown appears still more various ; it seems to have become 
the common name for all unknown and mixed corruptions 
of colour *. 
To rectify the present imperfect descriptions of flowers, 
and other natural and artificial productions, by a more ac~ 
curate nomenclature for colours, is a desirable object ; but 
what is the best mode of forming such a nomenclature be- 
comes a different question. 
If the colours of many wild flowers could be relied on as 
standards, from not being found to vary much in different 
situations and at different periods, we might have a no- 
menclature by reference to them : but this would be objec- 
tionable, in as much as one principal use of the specific 
names-being that of enabling botanists to describe the tints 
* In superadding the terms pink, lake, scarlet, orange, &c. we have 
not done much towards.a perfect nomenclature, as there are varieties fae 
scribable by these names, 
of 
