438 



Notice of a ' Flora of Shetland ; comprehending a list of the Flower- 

 ing and Cryptogamic Plants of the Shetland Isles, with re- 

 marks on their Topography, Geology and Climate. By Thomas 

 Edmonston, Professor of Botany in the Andersonian University 

 of Glasgow, 1845.' 



Circumstances, unimportant to the readers of the ' Phytologist,' 

 interfered with an earlier notice of the ' Flora of Shetland,' published 

 by Mr. Edmonston when about to quit the shores of Britain, on an 

 important botanical expedition, which is likely to occupy him for 

 several years (Phytol. ii. 185). It seems that Mr. E. is a Shetland 

 "rrtra avis'" in his botanical acquirements, since we are told in the In- 

 troduction to his volume, that he " has never heard of any native who 

 had studied the science," saving himself The ground was new and 

 all his own ; but novelty has its disadvantages along with its plea- 

 sures. The botanist who writes a Flora of a cluster of islets, whereon 

 dwelleth no second votary of the floral goddess, is likely to find few 

 purchasers, and still fewer readers of his book. He must look for the 

 latter, at least, among those who occupy themselves with the geogra- 

 phical relations of plants. And, indeed, from the position of the 

 Shetland Isles, like a connecting step between Great Britain and the 

 more arctic islands, subject to the crown of Denmark, a list of their 

 plants will possess more geographical interest than usually attaches 

 to a local Flora for a very limited tract. Until their floral produc- 

 tions were investigated by Mr. Edmondston, these " hundred isles " 

 remained almost a terra incognita in a botanical view ; and hence, 

 however small its usefulness to the non-botanical islanders, the 'Flora 

 of Shetland' is nevertheless a publication of some importance in the 

 literature of Botany. 



The volume includes a list of all the species (fungi excepted) which 

 have been detected in the isles by the zealous author of the work. 

 The phanerogamic portion of the list comprises about three hundred 

 and thirty species. Adding thirteen Filices, four species of Equise- 

 tum and three of Lycopodium, we have an islet Flora of three hun- 

 dred and fifty species, exclusive of the strictly cellular plants. Al- 

 though the author intimates that the group of isles has not 'been fully 

 examined, we believe this numerical result may be accepted as a 

 probable approximation to their true floral census, which is not likely 

 to exceed four hundred species, even should it hereafter be raised to 

 that number. The data afforded by the neighbouring islands, both 

 southward and northward of Shetland, appear to justify this supposi- 



