122 . REVIEWS. [April, 



shire ' is its historical character. Two hundred years have now 

 elapsed from the time that the first Catalogue of Cambridgeshire 

 plants was published by the illustrious Ray ; many other Floras, 

 Catalogues, and similar treatises have since appeared. Thus, the 

 present Flora, as the last of a series of works upon the same sub- 

 ject, becomes at once a record of the progress of botany, and a 

 witness of the changes which have taken place upon the surface 

 of the country — of the consequent disappearance of many plants, 

 the apparently recent introduction of others. Fully aware of the 

 interest attaching to his work in an historical point of view, Mr. 

 Babington has taken care to give, under each species, a reference 

 to the earliest writer who mentions it as found in Cambridgeshire, 

 and, when possible, the name of the original finder is stated ; 

 also, for the purpose of contrasting the present state of the 

 Flora with its former condition, the localities which rest solely 

 upon the authoritv of the older botanists, are distinguished by 

 being printed in italics. If anything, perhaps too great respect 

 has, in a few cases, been shown for ancient authorities. For in- 

 stance, we cannot help suspecting that Senecio sylvaticus was mis- 

 taken for S. t;i5co.9MS in the localities given; and possibly (Enanthe 

 fluviatilis for Cicuta virosa. 



It is a special province of the local botanist to distinguish be- 

 tween indigenous and introduced plants, both by stating his own 

 opinion, and by reporting exactly the kind of station in which 

 a suspected plant occurs. Mr. Babington appears to have be- 

 stowed much care on this portion of his subject : he has been the 

 first to adopt the use of a separate brand (J) for the " probably," 

 as distinguished from the " possibly " (f) and " certainly " (*) 

 introduced species. He has also attached the mark of foreign 

 origin to several of the "colonist" class. In both these particu- 

 lars Mr. Babington is supported by the high authority of Al- 

 phonse De Candolle, as may be seen by a reference to the ' Geo- 

 graphic Botanique,' vol. ii. p. 642 (see also '^ Phytologist,' n.s. 

 vol. ii. p. 451.) 



The following paragraphs, quoted from the Introduction, will 

 give some idea of the surface of the country, and of the " great 

 alterations caused by modern enclosures and drainage:" — 



" Cambridgeshire," writes Mr. Babington, " may be described as flat 

 and naked; nevertheless it is not so absolutely flat as is generally sup- 

 posed. A range of conspicuous chalk-hills extends across the southern part 



