380 Bibliographical Notices. 



out the whole work, so far as regards the distinction of those species 

 which the Authors * fully recognize as such. No one moreover can 

 fail to perceive how assiduously they have examined specimens re- 

 ceived from foreign countries, and observed in a living state many 

 plants of the Scottish mountains. Again, great facility has been 

 afforded for the identification of the genus to which a plant belongs, 

 by the insertion of a " Conspectus of the Orders " at the beginning 

 of each Subclass, and a Conspectus of the Genera at the beginning of 

 each Order. These tables, being formed on purely artificial arrange- 

 ments, are obviously intended for the convenience of beginners and 

 collectors : but with some singular exceptions, a really scientific tone 

 and manner of treatment is discernible everywhere. The nomen- 

 clature is considerably improved, by being brought into at least some 

 conformity with the views of contemporary botanists : this is espe- 

 cially to be seen in the subdivision of several genera. It may be well 

 to mention some of the changes in respect to both species and genera, 

 and remarks bearing upon them, which have struck us as especially 

 worthy of attention. Nastwtium amphihium is removed to Armo- 

 racia, the Horse-radish being at the same time no longer considered 

 to be a Cochleai'ia. There is an excellent note on the difficulty of 

 dividing Brassica, Sinapis, &c. : the Authors protest very justly 

 against an arrangement which separates Sinapis nigra f from the 

 Mustards and joins it to the Kails, on account of the purely artificial 

 character drawn from the nerves of the pod : it is a pity they have 

 not had courage to combine the two genera, which have but little real 

 distinctness : probably all the British species of Brassicece might 

 safely be thrown in. The stipulate species of Arenaria form the ge- 

 nus Spergidaria ; but their artificial removal, along with Spergula, 

 into Paronychiacea, is more than questionable. Plausible reasons are 

 given for treating Stellaria scapigera (Willd.) as a mere variety of 

 S. graminea. Prunus spinosa, insititia, and dotnestica are made to 

 form one species, the P. communis of Hudson : of late nearly every 

 one has wished for this change, but no one has dared to make it. 

 Epilobium lanceolatum (Seb. and Maur.) is admitted on Mr. Borrer's 

 authority. The British Sedum purpureum is taken as a mere form 

 of S. Telephium : surely our plant cannot be identical with Tausch's ? 

 Daucus maritimus (With.) is very properly suspected: probably it 

 would long ago have been rejected, were not plants exactly resembling 

 the inland D. Carota constantly found by the sea. Pyrethrum is 

 judiciously merged in Matricaria : there is no natviral character to 

 separate them, and we have not found the cavity of the receptacle in 

 M. Chamomilla absolutely constant. The inflorescence of Parietaria 

 is shown to be a contracted cyme furnished with bracts, the union of 



* The conjunction of names on the title-page compels us to speak of 

 " the Authors," but we believe it is sufficientlj'^ known that Dr. Arnott alone 

 is really responsible for nearly all the additions and alterations in this 

 edition. 



t We do not quite understand the scientific purport of the advertisement 

 of the mustard " originally prepared by Mrs. Clements of Durham." 



