THE HISTORY OF THE ‘BOTANICAL MAGAZINE XXXvVIl 
Leptosiphon androsaceus (pl. 3491), Limnanthes Douglasii 
(pl. 3554), and Clarkia pulchella (pl. 3592). 
Agave americana var. foliis variegatis (pl. 3654) is well 
worth turning to, as the accompanying letterpress contains 
the history of the flowering of various plants in different 
parts of the United Kingdom, together with an account of 
the economic products of this and other species which are 
peculiar to America, and chiefly to the Mexican region. 
I can hardly pass pl. 3781, a lovely Mexican Bouvardia, 
here named splendens, though it had years previously 
(pl. 1854) been figured from a miserable specimen under its 
proper name of B. triphylla. Bouvardias are evidently 
much better cultivated now than formerly. 
West AUSTRALIAN PLANTS. 
Previously to 1840 several collectors had visited West 
Australia, and a considerable number of West Australian 
plants had been figured in the Magazine from time to time; 
but it was at about this date that the singular and brilliantly 
coloured flowers of this region began literally to pour into 
this country, and chiefly from one source—from James 
Drummond, a brother of Thomas, to whom I have already 
alluded. In 1839, Dr. Lindley published in the form of an 
appendix to the Botanical Register, a sketch of the vegeta- 
tion of the Swan River Colony, with coloured figures of 
eighteen characteristic plants. This sketch was based upon 
a collection of about 1000 species of dried plants com- 
municated by James Drummond, who subsequently con- 
tributed a long series of extremely interesting letters on the 
flora of Western Australia, to Hooker’s Journal of Botany, 
London Journal of Botany, and Kew Journal of Botany, 
during a period of fourteen years, from 1839 to 1853. There 
is something specially attractive in these unpretending 
letters, and from the time I first read them I have had a 
great longing to visit Australia. Drummond not only made 
very extensive collections of dried plants, but also was the 
means of introducing many ornamental species into English 
gardens. Among peculiar and striking West Australian 
plants figured in the Magazine of this period I may mention 
Anigozanthus Manglesii, Kangaroo Feet of the colonists, 
(pl. 3875); Brachycome iberidifolia (pl. 3876) ; Calectasia 
cyanea, perhaps the most highly coloured of the Rush family, 
(pl. 3834); Helichrysum niveum (pl. 3857) ; Boronia crenu- 
lata (pl. 3914); Marianthus ceeruleo-punctatus (pl. 3893) ; 
Pimelea spectabilis (pl. 3950); Podotheca gnaphalicides 
