C38 



At the head of each species are two diagrams ; one being " a mini- 

 ature map of Britain, divided into eighteen districts," whih are num- 

 bered in regular order from south to north ; the other exhibits " the 

 absolute and comparative heights attained by the highest hills of the 

 respective districts." By the omission of the figures from the spaces 

 in the first diagram corresponding w^ith districts in which the species 

 has not been observed, a pretty exact idea of its ascertained range is 

 given ; the same course is pursued in the diagram of altitudes. These 

 diagrams are intended as index-maps to others on a larger scale. 



Immediately under these diagrams are the following details. 1. 

 The name of the species, with synonyms, if any. 2. An enumeration 

 of the districts in which the species has been ascertained to grow. 3. 

 An enumeration of such of twenty local Floras and thirty catalogues 

 in which the species is mentioned. 4. Enumeration of localities from 

 which specimens of the species are preserved in the author's herba- 

 rium. 5. Uncertain localities. 6. Distribution of the species in Bri- 

 tain. 7. General distribution. 8. Localities ranged under the various 

 districts, collected from different sources. 



We regret exceedingly that we cannot give copious extracts fi-om 

 the author's highly interesting remarks on the general distribution of 

 the plants belonging to the three natural orders treated on in the pre- 

 sent part : but with two more quotations we must conclude. 



" Ranunculaceous plants are very widely distributed over the surface of the globe. 

 They were found — in the typical form of the order, the genus Ranunculus — on all 

 the arctic and polar coasts visited by Sir Edward Parry and other northern voyagers ; 

 even under the highest latitudes attained, as in Melville Island and at the northern 

 extremity of Spitzbergen. They are still to be seen at the contrary extremes both of 

 the old and new worlds, about the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan ; 

 and they have also been gathered on the islands of the Southern Pacific, in New Hol- 

 land, Van Dieman's Land, New Zealand, &c. Between these remote positions repre- 

 sentatives of the order may be found in every part of the world, numerously in cold 

 and temperate climates, but much more sparingly scattered over intertropical coun- 

 tries. Within and about the tropics, the plants of this order are chiefly seen on the 

 mountains, although not invariably so." — p. 22. 



In Steudel's Nomenclator are enumerated about 78,000 species of 

 phanerogamous plants ; of these 830 species, or about a 94th part of 

 the whole number, are Ranunculaceae. Mr. Watson thinks that this 

 proportion may possibly be too high, in consequence of " the species 

 of this order being better known than are those of several other orders 

 prevalent within the tropics, or in the southern hemisphere." The 

 proportion relatively to other flowering plants, is highest in high nor- 

 thern latitudes, but the greatest absolute number of species is found 

 in the more temperate latittides of the northern hemisphere. In 



