60 NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
neu i. Ses Ie ose ae 
Every one who. has interested himself in local botany must, be well — 
aware of the difficulty not only of reconciling conflicting statements, 
but of obtaining from each individual observer an impartial report of — 
the nature of the locality in which a plant has been gathered. Yet, if 
any progress is to be made in distinguishing between native and na- 
turalized plants, too much stress can hardly be laid upon the “ kind of — 
station." . It is of the utmost importance to know how far the habitat 
is removed from houses and cultivation, present or past; in fact from - 
every influence, possible or probable, of man. Plantations and shrub- . 
beries have far too often been given as natural localities: and, dificult 
as it may be to form an estimate in a highly cultivated country, it is a 
not less the duty of every field botanist to apply himself to renewed — 
exertions in this respect. It is to the credit of Mr. Gibson that he has 
given much attention to describing correctly the kind of place in e : 
each species occurs. 
We are surprised to find Vaccinium Vitis-Idea admitted as Me 
formerly grown in Epping Forest, for which the recollection of a nur: 
seryman seems hardly sufficient evidence. 
A few norihern plants occur in Essex, and these may be worth men- 
e 
J 
GW. 
tion, as some of them appear to reach their southern limit in this — 
country, The most remarkable are Symphytum tuberosum, Parnassia — 
palustris, Galeopsis versicolor, Potamogeton prelongus, Elymus arena» 
rius, and Sali ambigua. 
_» Mr. Gibson has been especially fortunate in finding a von djutensl in «1 
the person of the Rev. W. W. Newbould, whose assistance is hand- 4 
somely acknowledged, and to whom are due many of the critical re- 
marks which occur in various parts of the volume. 
-A map, a table of distribution through eight districts, four ln : 
representing the species peculiar to Essex, together with much interests — 
"s 
ing matter given in the six articles of the appendix, all show how — 
much pains have been bestowed by the author. The comparison drawn 
between the Essex flora and those of the four adjacent. counties-d$ — 
especially valuable, and some interesting results are also obtained by | 
using the. ‘ Cybele Britannica ' as a standard for estimating the predo- — 
minance of scarce and frequent species. Had space allowed, we should - 
gladly have seen these comparisons carried out more fully, in the e : 
of lists of the plants belonging to the several *' types" and groups. ^ 
Mr. Gibson’s ‘ Flora of Essex " will rank with those of Hendoniii 
