472 Bibliographical Notices. 



Braemar the temperature fell to zero of Fahrenheit in December 

 1859, to 9° in 1858, and to 4°-9 in 1857. At Castle Newe the 

 lowest temperature observed during many years occurred in February 

 1838, when it is stated to have fallen to —12°. [We have not seen 

 any account of the weather there at Christmas I860.] The lowest 

 temperature at Aberdeen is not mentioned. The average annual fall 

 of rain and snow at Braemar has been 33 inches, at Castle Newe 34, 

 at Aberdeen 28 inches. 



The flora is contrasted with that of Britain, taking Dr. Arnott's 

 ' Flora ' as the authority for the latter, and with the lists and dis- 

 tricts used by Mr. Watson in his ' Cybele.' Special attention is also 

 paid to the altitudinal distribution of the plants, and an interesting 

 and instructive diagram given in illustration of it. 



The ' Introduction ' is followed by a good summary of the " Phy- 

 sical and Geological Structure" of the counties from the pen of 

 Mr. Alex. Cruickshank. 



The number of Phsenogamic species included in this book is 690 ; 

 and 91 others, which it is thought by Dr. Dickie ought to be ex- 

 cluded, as not truly indigenous are named in an appendix. 



The author's tendency is manifestly rather towards Mr. Bentham's 

 than Mr. Babington's views concerning species ; and we have been 

 amused by the rather frequent recurrence of the words " considered 

 by some as identical" when obscure or ill-understood plants are 

 being noticed. Dr. Dickie's opinion, if founded upon his own ob- 

 servations, would be highly valuable ; not so that of the anonymous 

 " some." 



In addition to the scientific nomenclature, an English name is 

 given to each species. Had these been the names used in the dis- 

 trict, they would have possessed interest (and the real Gaelic name 

 would have been of great value, as tending to show what are the an- 

 cient plants of the country, and as such known to the old inhabit- 

 ants) ; but being often simply the names invented by English bota- 

 nists, they are as much a technical nomenclature as the Latin terms, 

 labour under the disadvantage of being unknown to most students, 

 and are, we venture to add, undeserving of being known, and quite 

 useless. 



The time when plants flower in that northern region is well worthy 

 of contrast with the seasons recorded for the blooming of plants in 

 the southern parts of the kingdom. Dr. Dickie seems to have noted 

 it carefully. 



The localities are arranged as occurring in the counties of Kincar- 

 dine, Aberdeen, and Banff respectively. We should have been better 

 pleased to have seen the whole region treated as one, and divided 

 into districts founded upon their physical and other peculiarities, 

 the internal county boundaries being totally neglected. The incon- 

 venience of the plan which is adopted is well illustrated by Banffshire, 

 which extends as a long narrow strip of country from Ben-na-muich- 

 dhui, about 4300 feet in altitude, to the sea : it is sixty -eight miles 

 in length, with an average breadth of only fourteen. The same may 

 be said in a less degree of Aberdeenshire, which is narrow and moun- 



