1862.] ON A NEW PINAX OR INDEX OF BRITISH PLANTS. 245 



to be a complete index to all that has been written on the British 

 plants. It need not be encumbered by the partial and conflictive 

 judgments about nationality, spontaneity, citizens, denizens, 

 colonists, aliens ; but it should exhibit on its pages a brief his- 

 tory of every species, or distinctly cite where its history is to be 

 found, and there leave the students to form their own judgment 

 about its domestic or exotic origin. 



The proposed Piuax or Index should contain the current or 

 most popular names of the species, i.e. the names generally re- 

 cognized as the generic and specific names — with the a\ithority, 

 the English name, and all the scientific synonyms, and in addi- 

 tion, all the authorities for said synonyms, with the page or 

 chapter in the works where these names, current in those days, 

 are found. It might be enough for general purposes to enter all 

 authorities, from Ray inclusive to modern times ; but it would be 

 more satisfactory to ascend to the fathers of botany, Theo- 

 phrastus, Dioscorides and Pliny, and to enter the names of the 

 founders of botany in England, viz. Turner, Lobel, Lyte, Gerard, 

 and Parkinson, as the authorities for the plants by them described. 



Thus, if the name of Ray stood first after a synonymous name 

 it would denote that it was first introduced or observed or de- 

 scribed by him. 



If Hudson, or Robson, or Withering were the original autho- 

 rities, and if their names stood next to the name of the species, 

 it would be inferred that these eminent botanists have the ho- 

 nour of introducing the species. 



It would be easy to refer, by means of a well-constructed 

 index, Avliere the edition and page of any author were quoted, to 

 the original authority for any given species. With this index 

 any one, who will take the trouble, might investigate the history 

 of species for himself; or he might find the authorities, on which 

 he might infer either the nationality or non-nationality of every 

 species. 



But as there may be a few who are more disposed to follow 

 implicitly any authority than to rely on themselves in the for- 

 mation of their opinions, the proposed Index might be compiled 

 so as to suit their prejudices and necessities. For example, all 

 the British species that have never been challenged as non- 

 British might appear in one division of the Index, and all aliens 

 and suspected aliens, of which we have probably hundreds, should 



