885 



process a of fig. 2 be regarded as a kind of finger-post, it would lead 

 to the conclusion that he has mistaken for fovilla the particles of 

 amylon which are found in abundance in the neck of the ovulum. 

 Warrington, January 12, 1844. \y^ WiLSON. 



Art. CXCIX. — Reply to Mr. Edmonstori's * Hemarks on Botanical 

 Classijication.' By Ph. B. Ayres, Esq., M.D. 



Thame, Oxon, January 20th, 1844. 

 Sir, 



I have waited, until now, with the expectation that 

 some more able correspondent of your journal would have replied to 

 the remarks of Mr. Edmonston on the natural arrangement of plants; 

 but as no one has come forward, I shall endeavour to answer his ob- 

 jections to that system. 



With his first propositions, "that the present system of entirely 

 dispensing with an introductory or artificial scheme, is not only wrong- 

 in theory and opposed to the principles of philosophical classifica- 

 tion, but almost impracticable in practice ; " and, " that a simple ar- 

 tificial scheme is absolutely necessary as an easy introduction to the 

 study of the science, by which a sufficient knowledge of species may 

 be gained to enable the student to turn to the more complicated ge- 

 neralizations of the other system ; " — I in part agree. That an arti- 

 ficial scheme is necessary to an east/ acquirement of the science, is 

 tantamount to saying that an alphabetical arrangement is necessary to 

 the finding easily any particular subject in a bulky Encycloposdia, or 

 a good index to any other work of reference ; and such is the artificial 

 system of Linnisus to the vegetable kingdom. The assertion of the 

 absolute impracticability of learning Botany without the assistance of 

 an artificial scheme is absurd ; inasmuch as species may be discovered 

 by the natural system, although, I acknowledge, with greater diffi- 

 culty. It is easier, for example, to find a species in any work on 

 descriptive Botany, provided the name be known, by turning to the 

 index, than to wade through the descriptions of classes, orders and 

 genera to arrive at it. Exactly in the same manner is it easier to turn 

 to the Linnsean index, than to wade through the long analyses of na- 

 tural orders given in Lindley's 'Introduction to the Natural System.' 

 With similar restrictions we may acquiesce in the third proposition, 

 " that what was then (in the time of Linnaeus) necessary for the state 

 of botanical knowledge generally, is, I contend, still indispensible to 

 students individually ; " that is, a good index of plants ! 



