353 Bibliographical Notices. 



his other , works, nor indeed are they always correct, — a charge 

 which however hes at the door of almost every observer of hymeno- 

 mycetous fangi at that time. The principal feature of the work how- 

 ever is the beauty and faithfulness of the larger figures, the analyses 

 being a very subordinate part ; and whatever reproach may be thrown 

 on this part of the work, it is but justice to assert that no mycolo- 

 gist has published more faithful analyses of fungi than M. Corda. 

 For proof we appeal not only to the uniformly increasing merit of his 

 ' Fasciculi,' each surj^assing the other in im])ortance and skill of exe- 

 cution, but to ocular evidence afforded by a comparison of many of 

 his most curious genera, such as Dictyosporium, Helicostylum, Cla- 

 dotrichum, &c., under the microscope with the published figures, and 

 we have not been struck more by the curious forms and structures 

 which presented themselves than by the great accuracy of the figures. 

 It has fallen to the lot of few to discover more novelties, and these 

 as beautiful as singular, than to M. Corda ; indeed so curious are many 

 of them, that occasionally he has met with the fate of original thinkers 

 and fortunate observers, and his discoveries instead of exciting admi- 

 ration have been met with doubt. It was therefore with great plea- 

 sure that we received a packet of specimens, in many cases portions 

 of the very individual figured, which have enabled us at once to do 

 justice to the author, and to refer to the ' Fasciculi ' as a repertorium 

 of facts; and we are in some measure the more pleased to be able to 

 do so, since we do not always agree with his views either as to genera 

 or species, and we regard the work rather as that of an original ob- 

 server than of a profound critic. We are rejoiced too to find that 

 his labours in the study of antediluvian phytology, Avhich will soon 

 be given to the public, and will present the most magnificent ana- 

 lyses which have liitherto been published, have not drawn him oflf 

 entirely from mycology, but that he has a sixth fasciculus in hand, 

 and is preparing a new edition of his ' Introduction to Mycology,' 

 a work which should be in the hands of every botanist. It remains 

 only that we say of the work which has given occasion for these re- 

 marks, that though the figures are too much crowded, which takes 

 off greatly from the general effect, and the form itself of the book, 

 oblong foiio, not accordant with English taste, some of the plates, 

 when confined to a single species, may be compared without risk to 

 the beautiful plates of Vittadini and Viviani, and that in most cases 

 the figures individually are all that can be wished. As the plates are 

 lithographed, and if, as it is probable, a few copies only were taken 

 off, in a short time it will not be possible to procure the work from 

 the publisher. 



Histoire physique, politique et naturelle de Vile de Cuba. Par M. 



Ramon de la Sagra. 

 Botanique : Plantes Cellulaires. Par Camille Montague, D.M. Paris, 



1838-1842. 



The distinguishing feature of this work from others of a similar 

 description Avliich have emanated from the study of the French savans, 

 consists in the extraordinary ability and patience with which the 



