1859.] REVIEWS. 25 



laria media, which is believed to be an introduction. It deserves 

 the name of a cosmopolite if any plant does. It is a ubiqui- 

 tarian in the vegetable kingdom. 



The work is not a bare catalogue of Ceylon plants, but con- 

 tains in addition the habitats, and sometimes the native names. 

 The latter will be serviceable to etymological botanists, in ena- 

 bling them to discover the etymology of some generic names. 

 Some genera are elaborately described, and many species are ac- 

 companied with short diagnoses. The elevation of the plants is 

 generally inserted. 



Under Cardamine hirsuta, one of the few British plants in this 

 First Part which is considered indigenous to Ceylon, the author 

 enters a variety, C. major, " ssepissime trifoliata." Query, is 

 this trifoliate form known to any of our readers as a native of 

 Europe? Oxalis corniculata, and var. /3 minor, grow in Ceylon 

 up to an elevation of 7000 feet. It has a considerable range of 

 temperature as well as of elevation. One of the largest genera 

 is Impatiens, which contains 21 Cingalese examples. Query, is 

 /. Balsamina the original of our garden Balsam ? As we shall 

 have occasion to notice the remaining parts of the work, which 

 it is to be hoped will speedily follow, then we shall take the 

 opportunity of comparing the work of the immortal Swede with 

 that of our learned author. "May his shadow," in Oriental 

 phrase, " never be less !" 



The Natural History Review, etc. London : Williams and Nor- 

 gate. 



The first article in this number of the ' Review of Natural 

 History,^ and the publications therewith connected, is a brief 

 notice of the ' Handbook of the British Flora,^ by Mr. Bentham, 

 a work which the reviewer calls a novelty in botanical literature, 

 such as has not appeared in the present generation. From the sub- 

 joined account some of our readers may infer that the reviewer's 

 acquaintance with botanical literature is not very extensive, nor 

 his knowledge of its character and contents very exact. For ex- 

 ample, p. 183, the readers of the Review are told that " Hooker's 

 ' British Flora ' succeeded Smith, the author adopting most of 

 Smith's species, but condensing the matter, changing the plan 



N. S. VOL. III. E 



