550 



animals. True, the representations are imperfect, bnt they are in 

 most instances not inferior to those woodcuts adorning the pages of the 

 old ' Krauterbiicher ' and Herbals published in Europe shortly after 

 the invention of printing. To identify the names and figures given 

 by Li-shi-chin with scientific appellations, will bean interesting study 

 to those who occupy themselves with Chinese Natural History, and, 

 judging from the few extracts which have lately been published, the 

 labour of translating the whole would be repaid by a vast amount of 

 curious and usefid information." 



The article intituled 'Tribute to David Douglas' is taken from 

 Schouw's ' Earth, Plants, and Man,' a work which belongs to the 

 species of writing now so popular in Germany, and which had pro- 

 bably its origin in Humboldt's ' Cosmos.' Schleiden's ' The Plant, a 

 Biography' (familiar to the English public through Mr. Henfrey's 

 admirable translation), Liebig's Chemical Letters, Voigt's 'Letters on 

 Zoology, &c.,' are publications of the same nature, all teaching sci- 

 ence in a popular manner. In this country we have n)ade similar 

 attempts, but have in many cases been most singularly unsuccessful. 

 The reason seems to be, that while our neighbours never lower the 

 dignity of science, and rather try to raise up the mass of people to 

 the level of philosophers, many popular writers belonging to our 

 nation have followed a diametrically opposite course : they have de- 

 prived science of all its dignity, — of logic, of arrangement, in short, 

 of everything that is essential to its well-being ; they have created 

 confusion where they should have cleared up mistakes. 



The next article relates to the affairs of Nees von Esenbeck, with 

 which our readers are already acquainted. M. Nees von Esenbeck is 

 now writing his auto-biography ; and we hope and trust that the 

 ingratitude of naturalists will not form one of the closing chapters. 



The February number contains the following papers : — ' On the 

 Camphor-tree of Sumatra; by Dr. VV. H. de Vriese.' ' Flora Hong- 

 kongensis ; by George Bentham.' ' On the China Rice-paper Plant ; 

 by Sir William J. Hooker.' ' A new Species of Deparia ; by Sir 

 William Hooker. ' Letter from Prolessor Parlatore to Mr. P. B. 

 Webb.' ' Notes on the Botany of the Cape-de -Verde Islands ; by 

 Dr. C. Bolle.' ' On the Increase of Temperature in the Flowers of 

 the Victoria regia ; by Eduard Otto.' Notices of Moore's ' Popular 

 History of British Ferns ' and Seemann's ' Acacien,' two publications 

 of which we shall have occasion to speak in another place. 



In Mr. Benlham's Flora of Hong-Kong the following new plants 

 are described : — Androglossum reticulatum, Chauip. (gen. nov.), Rhus 



