439 



tion. Messrs. Babington and Balfour detected three hundred and 

 thh-ty-eight species in the outer Hebrides, during a short tour in those 

 more southerly isles, at the most favourable season of the year for 

 ascertaining their plants. The number reported for the Orkney Isles, 

 indeed, exceeds four hundred ; but the list is brought under that 

 number by deducting many species which have been reported on 

 authority botanically insufficient, and which are very unlikely to be 

 found so far north. The Flora of the Faroe Isles, as reported by 

 Mr. Trevelyan, includes only two hundred and eighty species, while 

 that of Iceland embraces three hundred and seventy species. Thus 

 there seems fair reason to believe that Mr. Edmondston's botanical 

 industry and research have supplied us with a creditably copious and 

 pretty complete list of Shetland plants, although some few of the spe- 

 cies may have been left out. But doubtless a goodly number of those 

 enumerated in his volume, more especially the agricultural weeds, 

 owe their existence in Shetland to the operations and importations of 

 farmers or others. 



The most novel feature of the work can scarcely be accounted a 

 recommendation, being one which makes troublesome any reference 

 to its contents, to ascertain the presence or absence of certain species. 

 This is a new scheme of classification, imperfectly explained, and 

 considerably at variance from our preconceived ideas on that debate- 

 able subject. Several of our author's orders are exactly identical with 

 those which are generally or universally adopted by systematists, by 

 reason of the close and well marked similarities of the plants includ- 

 ed in them, such, for instance, as the Gramineae and Cyperaceae, or 

 the CrucifersB and Umbellatas. But other orders bear very much the 

 look of arbitrary assemblages of things having little in common, and 

 nothing whereby to distinguish them satisfactorily from other groups. 

 One of these assemblages, designated " Speciosse," includes the fol- 

 lowing genera : Anagallis, Armeria, Statice, Primula, Menyanthes, 

 Erythraea, Azalea, Jasione, Campanula, Caprifolium, Gentiana, Trien- 

 talis — an odd sort of assemblage, and more odd still in this (which 

 is the author's own) arranged series of the genera. We have another 

 order, under the name of " Diandriae," which includes Pinguicula, 

 Utricularia and Veronica, Another combines Scabiosa, Plantago, 

 Asperula, Galium, Littorella. The leading idea of the scheme would 

 seem to run upon some dovetailing together of the Linnean and Jus- 

 sieuan principles of classification — the sexual and natural systems. 

 This has frequently been attempted by young botanists, or by older 

 heads to which advancing age had not brought wisdom ; and the at- 

 tempt has always proved a failure. 



