factorily whether both do occur in Britain, or whether only one of 

 them does so occur, — and, in this latter case possibly, even to which 

 of the two species our well-known plant should be referred. Mean- 

 time, the generally adopted name of " limosum " was still retained for 

 our generally known species ; and the name of " fluviatile " was used 

 for the dubious plant, in conformity with Babington's Manual. I 

 have abstained from interrupting the continuity of my own explana- 

 tion by the introduction of quotations, but it may be well to subjoin 

 here the three following extracts from the authors mentioned, by 

 way of completing that explanation, which would be left less intelli- 

 gible without them : — 



Fries. — " E. limosum L. et fluviatile L. utique nimis affinia sunt 

 sed apud nos (circa Upsaliam vulgaria) facile discernuntur et a nullo 

 Botanicorum Suecorum, ad prisca contrahenda, quam nova distin- 

 guenda promptiorum, conjuncta. Ut pateat an nostra cum exterorum 

 prorsus conveniant utruque dedimus in H. N. XI." (Summa Vege- 

 tabilium Scandinavia?, p. 251). 



Babington. — " E. limosum (L.)" "a. limosum ; teeth of 



the sheaths not furrowed, sheaths of the branches green with minute 

 black tips to the round-backed ribs, branches often wanting. E. li- 

 mosum Fries, /3. fluviatile ; stem more deeply furrowed, teeth of the 

 sheaths short dark brown acute : rib furrowed on the back. E. Jiu- 

 viatile (L.) Fries. — In stagnant water. [0. Reported to be a native]." 

 (Manual, p. 404). 



Reviewer. — "In getting up Catalogues of this kind two things are 

 to be considered : first, accuracy ; secondly, intelligibility : we con- 

 ceive both of these are acheived in an eminent degree in the publica- 

 tion before us, yet in some cases we detect a little departure from 

 rigid accuracy, not unadvisedly, but from some motive of expediency, 

 which the authors, had they space, would doubtless explain ; for in- 

 stance, take the last species in the rejected list, Equisetum fluviatile, 

 a common English plant, to which Linneus and all continental au- 

 thors apply this name. A foreigner must suppose that the well- 

 known Equisetum fluviatile, so common on the continent, has been 

 recorded as an inhabitant of Britain, but that Messrs. Dennes and 

 Watson having found that record incorrect, expunge the name : they 

 would have no idea that it is only the Linnean name that is struck 

 out, the plant being one of our commonest species." (Phytol. ii. 

 1051 et seq.). * 



I cannot see that a foreigner would be entitled to " suppose " the 

 case above suggested for him by the reviewer ; and for the very suffi- 



