587 



No. 114. Contents: "On the development of Chara;" by C. 

 Muller, (continued). " Notes on the Botany of Scinde ;" by J, E. 

 Stocks, M.D. " Botanical Notices, from Spain ;" by Moritz Will- 

 komm, (continued). " Bibliographical Notices," of Harvey's ' Phy- 

 cologia Britannica.' " Miscellaneous," — " Does Magnetism influence 

 the circulation in Chara ?" 



The "Botany of Scinde" is an attractive title; but the contents of 

 the short letter on that subject, yield very little information. The 

 writer enumerates Tamarix gallica and Rumex acutus, as found 

 there ; but we must say that a sight of the specimens would be more 

 satisfactory than their names in the letter of a botanist, who seems 

 somewhat young in the study. The reply to the query, on the faith 

 of Dutrochet's experiments is, that magnetism does not influence the 

 circulation in Chara, and that " there is no relation between the mag- 

 netic force and the vital force producing this circulation." This con- 

 clusion, however, is much more comprehensive than the experiments 

 would seem reasonably to justify. 



No. 115, the ' Supplementary Number,' for the first half-year of 

 1846. Contents: " Botanical Excursion in Lower Styria, in 1842;" 

 by R. C. Alexander, M.D. "Journey through Java, descriptive of 

 its topography and Natural History ;" by Dr. F. Junghuhn (a transla- 

 tion, continued from a former No.) 



Though these two papers may be held good of their class, they be- 

 long to a class or style of writing which is seldom of any value in 

 science. Only a botanist who is already well acquainted with plants, 

 and their distribution in the neighbouring countries, can be prepared 

 to select for record, those facts which are most important to the pro- 

 gress of science. In the absence of this previous preparation, he 

 must notice and tell what he saw at random, often passing by the new 

 and important, to dwell upon the trivial and familiar. Dr. Alexander 

 enjoyed the advantage of an excellent knowledge of European plants ; 

 having studied them in various countries, in a state of nature, and 

 also as dried specimens in the library and museum. He knew when 

 he detected any species which was a novelty to the recorded Flora of 

 Styina ; and conversant with the differences of identical species, 

 under changed conditions of soil and climate, he keeps clear from the 

 common error of merely local botanists, in mistaking each trifling 

 variation of character for marks of a new species. Of late, it has 

 been attempted to conform our lists of British plants, to the con- 

 tracted views of certain Swedish and German botanists, acute 

 observers of trifling differences, among the plants of narrow area. Dr. 



