II. BOTANICAL BOOKS AND 

 COLLECTIONS. 



MANY who are desirous of acquainting themselves with our 

 native flowers are occasionally in doubt as to the best books 

 for their purpose. It has therefore occurred to the writer 

 that a short and informal excursus on Botanical books, with a 

 few hints to intending collectors, would be both welcome and 

 useful. 



There are, of course, a great number of treatises of recent 

 publication bearing on the subject, and on special branches 

 of it, but our intention is not to advise specialists or advanced 

 students ; the works enumerated are for general knowledge, 

 and their value has been tested by practical experience. In 

 order to include beginners, who might be deterred from taking 

 up the pursuit through fear of long words and hard names, the 

 list is arranged under two heads, according as the subject is 

 treated in the (so-called) "popular" and "scientific" methods. 



POPULAR TREATISES. 



1. The Flowers of the Field, by the Rev. C. A. Johns, F.L.S. ; 



post 8vo. 5s. S.P.C.K. 



This is an excellent book, and its low price brings it within 

 the reach of all. The letterpress, which gives an explanation 

 of the structure of plants, contains a short account of most 

 British species as far as the Pond- weeds and Rushes. It is 

 copiously illustrated with wood-cuts, and has done more to 

 diffuse a knowledge of plant-life than any other book of its 

 kind. 



2. British Ferns and Allied Plants, by Thomas Moore, F.L.S. ; 



coloured plates ; fcap. 8vo. Is. and 3s. 6d. Routledge. 



This little book is a useful adjunct to Johns' Flowers of the 

 Field. Besides the plates, there are numerous illustrations of 

 varieties, with full particulars of Fern structure and culture. 



