174 Botanical Periodicals 



great extent, been neutralised by a hasty coarseness in the work- 

 ing, which will, I trust, be remedied in future numbers; and 

 which is the more to be regretted, as I am sure that no ex- 

 pense has been spared to insure excellence in every depart- 

 ment. One great defect is, the outlining of the petals of some 

 of the most delicate flowers with ink ; which detracts much 

 from the wax-like delicacy of some of the most beautiful species 

 of this elegant race of plants. By this system of employing 

 ink instead of chalk, much time is, perhaps, saved, and a great 

 degree of sharpness easily obtained ; but it is at the expense of 

 the delicate softness so requisite. A fine chalk outline, in the 

 cases in question, would produce a much more true and beauti- 

 ful effect ; I am aware that it is difficult, with the chalk alone, to 

 produce a great degree of delicacy combined with sufficient 

 firmness : yet it is to be accomplished with the requisite care and 

 skill. In Oncidium Cavendishm/zz^m, the defects of which I 

 am complaining are very glaring; namely, the heavy ink outline 

 in the bright yellow flowers ; and the coarseness of the chalkwork 

 in the foliage, which is but ill concealed by the colouring, which, 

 in this instance, is rather raw and tame. In Catasetum macula- 

 tum, the coarseness of the work is offensively prominent in the 

 pseudo-bulbs. The plate most free from any of these faults is, 

 perhaps, Oncidium ornithorhyncum, with its pendent raceme 

 of bright pink flowers : it is reall}'^ beautiful and brilliantly 

 coloured. It is a great pity that such defects should exist in 

 this splendid work, as it is published with no view to profit: 

 indeed, the spirited projector is prepared to meet considerable 

 loss, in order to produce a work worthy of illustrating the. 

 elegant wonders of the Orchidacese. To Dr. Lindley's Sertum 

 Orckidaceum, a work which has appeared since Mr. Bateman's, 

 and which contains portraits of some incredibly beautiful species 

 of Orchideae, never yet seen out of their native regions, the 

 same remarks apply ; for, to a great extent, the same artists have 

 been employed. The pseudo-bulbs and foliage of Stanhopea, 

 devoniensis, for instance, are lithographed in the coarsest man- 

 ner, and cut up with dark harsh lines of ink, to save the labour 

 of the chalk. This is a false economy in works of this ex- 

 pense and pretension ; particularly when, in a little half-crown 

 publication (the Floral Cabinet), plates are given free from these 

 defects, and, in many instances, superior in every respect to any 

 in these splendid works in their present state. As a case in 

 point, I refer to the Myanthus barbatus, given in No. 10. of 

 the Floral Cabinet, as it is sufficiently similar in the general 

 character of its pseudo-bulbs and foliage to compare to the 

 stanhopea of Dr. Lindley's work : placing them together, the 

 superiority of the myanthus, in execution and colouring, will 

 be abundantly evident. There are no harsh ink lines, but all 



