Murray's Noriherti Flora. si 5 



Lieut. James Sullivan, R.N., of H.M.S. Beagle. {Bot. Reg.^ 

 June.) Mr. Booth, A.L.S., after whom this plant is named, 

 is the general superintendent at Carclew. 



REVIEWS. 



Art. I. The Northern Flora ; containing the wild Plants of the 

 North of Scotland. By Alexander Murray, M.D. 8vo. Part L, 

 pp. 150, with an Appendix. Edinburgh, 1836. 



Concurring with the author in his opinion of the utility of 

 local floras, we quote his apology for the one before us : — 



" It may be fairly observed," he says, " that the Scottish Floras of Light- 

 foot and Hooker belong to the South and West of the kingdom, rather than 

 to Scotland in general. At least, with some knowledge of both these, 

 doubtless, important and interesting contributions to botany, I cannot bring 

 to recollection any proof that either of the authors ever set foot on the 

 extensive plain, which may be alluded to in a general way, as extending from 

 Angus to Nairn — unless, indeed,, it maybe the statement of Lightfoot, in 

 his Preface, that he ' traversed the kingdom from Argyleshire to the county 

 of the Mearns' — while their communications from correspondents, relative 

 to that tract, particularly to Aberdeenshire and the contiguous counties, are 

 so meagre as scarcely to be worthy of notice, or of being taken into any 

 practical account. 



" With the causes of this comparative deficiency I am unacquainted, and 

 to discover these is no part of the object now in view ; as it is enough, if 

 the present publication, besides being sanctioned by custom, is also proper 

 upon general grounds. Upon this point, it seems sufficient to add to the 

 above observations, that inferring the utility of local Floras from their fre- 

 quent occurrence, and, moreover, considering the remarkable variety and 

 extent of our botanical stations, no one, it is probable, will contend that a 

 Flora of this quarter is improper or unnecessary; and that the North-east 

 of Scotland is either so defective in materials, or so iminteresting to readers, 

 that it deserves to remain undescribed, and to the public in general, botani- 

 cally unknown. No doubt the alpine parts of the North are occasionally 

 referred to in the Scottish Floras of Lightfoot and Hooker, as well as in 

 various publications of the same kind, pertaining to Britain in general. 

 Valuable lists, too, of our rarer species are to be found in the Edinburgh 

 Neiu Fhilosofhical Journal, as well as in Anderson's Guide to the Highlands ; 

 nor ought it to be forgotten, that a copious catalogue of the plants of For- 

 farshire, by Mr. George Don, is given in Headrick's Survey of that county. 

 These considerations, however, in no degree prevent or discourage an at- 

 tempt like the present. Indeed, in one respect, they ought rather to have 

 the contrary effect, namely, by multiplying the sources from which the pub- 

 lication is to be derived. 



" The tract of country which is at present in view, may be supposed to be 

 separated from the rest of the island, by an irregular boundary, stretching 

 from the Forfarshire coast on the east, to that of Sutherland on the west ; 

 and may, in a general way, be said to consist of that portion of the east 

 and interior of Scotland which lies to the north of Montrose, in addition to 

 the western part of the county of Sutherland. This district may be con- 

 sidered as consisting of two great promontories, each making a degree of 

 approach to the peninsular form : one of these a large, and, for the most 

 part, a rather level district; the other, mainly, a rugged alpine region. 

 Though it is, therefore, to be understood, that no profession is scrictly 



