xm 



acquaintance with the works in question. The last-named work, 

 being last also in date, contains, as far as it has yet gone, a digested 

 summary of the stations published in all the rest, in addition to the 

 mass of information conveyed in the ' Phytologist,' and the result of 

 the author's personal observations during his excursions. Thus the 

 topography of our plants has become patent to all inquirers; and to 

 repeat without comment prior observations, implies either a want of 

 care or a want of courtesy. I do not hesitate to believe that the 

 first is invariably the case. I am, however, of the decided opinion 

 that a local or comital enumeration of species affords the best of all 

 opportunities for communicating such casual observations as might 

 and must ever occur in botanical conversation, and which certainly 

 give a chief zest to the pursuit ; and I recommend this plan in pre- 

 ference to all others, well knowing how superficial is the idea of a local 

 flora which one obtains by means of a hasty ramble, compared with 

 that resulting from a long residence and intimate acquaintance with 

 the neighbourhood described. How many tracts throughout the king- 

 dom would repay a minute examination ! — and how many botanists 

 are there who have both leisure and ability to perform the task ! I 

 hope the hint will not be lost, but that many who read these observa- 

 tions will be induced thereby to become the botanical historians of 

 their respective homes. 



In conclusion, I beg to offer my very sincere thanks to those bota- 

 nists who have so kindly and cordially supplied me with contributions, 

 and at the same time I most earnestly solicit their continued assis- 

 tance. I know not how to state more emphatically than I have 

 already done the estimation in which I hold the slightest fact con- 

 nected with Natural History. It matters not how soon or how 

 entirely the discoverer or recorder may be forgotten : the fact remains 

 for the instruction of all ages. Thus the ternary arrangement of 

 the floral envelopes in a great proportion of the endogens ; the quater- 

 nary and quinary arrangement in large orders of exogens ; the strict 

 analogy between regular and irregular corollas, so beautifully ex- 

 emplified by the occasional return of the latter to the former, as in 



