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that I have this season, willi a determination to avoid any preconceived opinion on 

 Arenaria marina and media, made all the enquiry that I possibly could ; the result of 

 this enquiry is that I have not been able to find anything opposed to what I have be- 

 fore said on the subject, (Phytol. 217). After assiduously examining these plants, I 

 may be excused for observing that I cannot participate in the writer's opinion; for not- 

 withstanding the possibility of there being some little variation in the seeds (but such 

 I have never seen), I have not the least doubt of their specific distinction. I might 

 just as confidently state the rubra to be identical, if I were to find some little differ- 

 ence in the seeds of that plant, and indeed it would appear that the seeds of rubra do 

 vary most strangely, as they are described by Leighton and others as being angular, 

 whereas all that I have seen are somewhat pyrifoim ; perhaps the Arenaria rubra de- 

 scribed by authors may be a plant which I have never seen, as it would appear that 

 the rubra of authors is something very like marina, since Mr. Babington tells us that 

 he is inclined to believe them to be two species, but that he has been unable satisfac- 

 torily to distinguish them, (' Priraitiae Floras Sarnicae,' p. 16). So far as regards the 

 Monotropa, I am quite willing to give up for a better one the name I have used to 

 distinguish the two fornis of that plant, and shall leave to botanists the decision of the 

 question how far they may be distinct as species. I am well aware of the evil attend- 

 ing the introduction of additional synonymes, and am much surprised to find that bo- 

 tanists who ought to know better are carrying out the thing to the greatest length ; as 

 I see that we have in Baines's 'Flora of Yorkshire,' published in 1840, a description 

 of Aira caespitosa, var. j8. rigida ; in Leighton's ' Flora of Shropshire,' published in 

 1841, we have an Aira caespitosa, var. /3. major ; in the Edinburgh Botanical Society's 

 Catalogue, second edition, 1841, we have an Aira caespitosa, var. ^3. vivipara ; and if we 

 look into a few works on our British plants, we shall find that in many instances the 

 same plant has a different name in each. In Lightfoot's ' Flora Scotica' we have a 

 plant under the name of Arundo arenaria ; in the 4th edition of Withering's Botany 

 we have the same plant called Calamagrostis arenaria, and in the 5th edition of the 

 same work Arundo arenaria ; in Gray's Botany it is called Psamma arenaria, in Smith's 

 ' English Flora' Arundo arenaria ; by Sir W.J. Hooker it is called Ammophila arun- 

 dinacea; in the Edinburgh Society's new Catalogue we find it to be Ammophila 

 ARENARIA, Should wc wish to trace this plant into the works of continental writers, 

 we shall find it under such names as Spartum auglicanum, &c. But as I have no 

 wish to go beyond the bounds of my own country, I will trace the Ammophila a little 

 further in the works of my countrymen ; the above name T find used in 1802 for a ge- 

 nus of Hymenopterous insects by Kirby, the same name has been retained by Turton, 

 Sowerby, Leach, Samouelle, Stephens, &c. The above name Ammophila arenaria 

 may be convenient to the Edinburgh Botanical Society for the Sand-marram, but for 

 me as an entomologist it is not convenient, for if I consult Donovan on that subject, I 

 find the very same name — Ammophila arenaria applied to one of our Sand Wasps. 

 And perhaps botanists will soon lose their antiquated generic name Ficus, as I see Mr. 

 Cumberland of Bristol is now using it for a genus oi fossil Crinoidea. The editors of 

 the 'Annals and Magazine ' say that they trust they will not be thought presumptuous 

 in hinting to me that a more frequent reference to the writings of continental botanists 

 is desirable. In reply to this I would tell them (as it appears they have forgotten it) 

 that all botanists are not equally fortunate in being so placed as to have an opportu- 

 nity of consulting such books ; and if I may be allowed to speak on the introduction 

 of synonymes, we have a fine specimen of this in the Shropshire Flora. The four spe- 



