Bibliographical Notices. 51 



naturalists, for the advancement of a knowledge of the plants rather 

 than for the convenience of the possessors of herbaria — also that the 

 diiferences which we are able to describe as distinguishing plants 

 being taken from their more minute organs, is not a proof that they 

 constitute only a single species. It seems to be our business to de- 

 cide upon the probable distinctness of plants before we attempt to 

 define them ; to make the species afford the character, not the cha- 

 racter form the species " (preface, pp. iii. iv). That our author is 

 no servile follower of the school of Messrs. Jordan and Boreau is 

 sufficiently proved by a remark which occurs a few pages further on, 

 where the writings of these eminent botanists are recommended as 

 " valuable for the study of varieties, for many of their species can 

 claim no higher rank;" and this is coupled with the useful caution 

 that " it is necessary to warn students against the very common 

 error of supposing that they have found one of the plants described 

 in a foreign flora, when in reality they have only gathered a variety 

 of some well-known British plant. The risk of falling into such 

 errors renders it necessary to consult such works as those of Messrs. 

 Jordan and Boreau with great caution, lest we should be misled by 

 descriptions, most accurate indeed, but rather those of individuals 

 than species. Amongst plants so closely allied as are many of those 

 called species in some continental works, it is scarcely possible to 

 arrive at a certain conclusion without the inspection of authentic 

 specimens" (preface, p. vii.). The moderate views thus taken by 

 Professor Babington in the matter of species are further illustrated 

 by the changes which have been introduced into the • Manual ' itself, 

 where, if, on the one hand, we find a certain number of plants pro- 

 moted to the rank of species, on the other we find some, which in 

 former editions appeared as such, reduced to mere varieties. 



Much attention has evidently been given to the subject of intro- 

 duced plants ; and we are glad to see the marks of naturalization 

 more freely used than in any former edition. As in the 'Flora of 

 Cambridgeshire,' three signs are employed for the different degrees 

 of "certainly," "probably," and "possibly" introduced. A few of 

 the agricultural weeds (e.g. Ranunculus arvensis, Fumaria micrantha, 

 Chrysanthemum segetum, and all the species of the genus Papaver) 

 are marked as possibly introduced ; but we observe that most of the 

 so-called " colonists " are still allowed to pass as native. 



The following is a summary of the principal alterations made 

 since the fourth edition : — 



In the genus Thalictrum, T. calcareum (Jord.) is added as a va- 

 riety of T. minus (L.) ; T. saxatile of former editions now appears 

 as T. Kochii (Fries), while a new species is added under the name of 

 T. saxatile (Schleich.). Papaver Lecoqii (Lamot.) is accepted as a 

 species distinct from P. dubium (L.). Instead of Fumaria capreo- 

 lata, we have now three species, viz. F. pallidifora (Jord.) [to 

 which F. Borcei (Jord.) is joined as a variety], F. confusa (Jord.), 

 and F. muralis (Sond.). Barbarea intermedia is new to the British 

 list, but is marked as possibly introduced. Under Viola sylvatica 

 (Fries) are described two forms — a. V. Reichenbachiana (Bor.), and 



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