Bihliuyrapldcal Notices. 215 



upon which subject, contained in Sir E. Belcher's Narrative of this 

 V'oyage, we have already directed the attention of botanists. 



The present number is chiefly occupied with part of the flora of 

 California, but contains also some highly valuable remarks upon the 

 climate, &c. of that country and the north-west of N. America. The 

 botanical descriptions being drawn up by Mr. Bentham, in whose 

 hands the collections have been placed, is a sufficient guarantee for 

 their accuracy aud value. There are ten well- executed lithographic 

 plates in this number ; the succeeding parts, to appear quarterly, are 

 not expected to exceed six. 



Supplement to English Botany. Second Series. Nos. 1 — 3. 

 London, 1843-44. 



We have much pleasure in directing the attention of our botanical 

 friends to the commencement of a new series of this valuable work. 

 To praise the beauty and accuracy of the plates would be quite a 

 " work of supererogation ;" in those respects it is allowed to be un- 

 rivaled. As was the case in the former series of this Supplement, the 

 descriptions which accompany the plates are written by some of our 

 best-known botanists ; the authors of those in the three numbers be- 

 fore us are IMr. W. Wilson, Rev. M. J. Berkeley, Mr. C. C. Babingtoa 

 and Air. Borrer. 



The death of Mr. C. E. Sowerby, its proprietor, having caused the 

 premature conclusion cf the third volume of this Supplement, the 

 ])resent new Series has been commenced by Mr. J. D. C. Sowerby, 

 the distinguished artist, to whose pencil we are indebted for the 

 plates contained in the preceding volumes. 



As this work does not now produce any profit to its proprietor, 

 we take the liberty of calling upon botanists to come forward with 

 their support, for it seems to us to be disgraceful that so truly na- 

 tional a publication should be allowed to languish through the neg- 

 lect of those from whom its proprietor has the justest right to look 

 for encouragement. It is intended to publish a number each alter- 

 nate month, to contain four coloured plates with the requisite de- 

 scriptive letter-press. It may be as well to add, that abundant ma- 

 terials exist to make the future numbers quite as interesting as any 

 of the preceding, and also, that the plates of this new Series will not 

 be republished in the small edition of ' English Botany,' the two 

 works now belonging to different persons. 



Histoire Naturelle des Zoophytes : — AcaVephes, par Rene-Primevere 

 Lesson, Membre correspondant de I'lnstitut de France, &c. Ou- 

 vrage enrichi de douze planches. Paris, 1843. 8vo. pp. .596. 



In the compilation of this volume the scissors have been of as much 

 service as the pen. The result has been a patch-w^ork in which every 

 borrowed piece has been put together after a pattern of the author's 

 own, but not very skilfully. Hence the book is less adapted for con- 

 tinuous perusal than for occasional consultation and reference, but 

 for the latter purpose it is a very useful magazine ; for it contains 



