and their Illustrations. 1 75 



delicately and highly finished with pure chalk. To return for 

 another glance at the Sertum, let us not criticise too closely Bur- 

 lingtonm venusta, where the delicate white petals are spoiled 

 by the black outline ; but turn at once to Cattley« bicolor, where 

 these defects are less apparent, from the colour being darker : 

 indeed, the ink outlining has, perhaps, in this instance, a sharp 

 and rather good effect; and it is, upon the whole, a very brilliant 

 delineation of a very splendid subject. 



It now remains to notice the other leading botanical periodicals 

 which are now going on ; and first, perhaps, we should place The 

 Botanical Register (Ridgway. 35. 6d.). It continues to possess 

 great interest, from its superior means of obtaining the latest novel- 

 ties ; and the plates are very neatly engraved, and coloured with 

 every accuracy necessary for a valuable scientific record ; but, as 

 works of art, they are, of course, nothing. The lastnumbercontains, 

 Boronza crenulata, Govenm /iliacea, Philadelphus hirsutus, Cos- 

 mos scabiosbides, Pentstemon crassifolius, and^Erica chloroloma. 

 The Botanical Magazine (Sherwood. 3s. 6d.). The same remarks 

 may be applied to the plates of this work as to those of the Regis- 

 ter ; except that, perhaps, in some of its later numbers, they are 

 rather more lightly and carefully engraved. It is curious to turn 

 back to some of its early numbers of forty years ago, and note the 

 progress which, without any pretension to make pictures of the 

 subjects, the extended appreciation and general improvement in 

 art has effected. The last number contains Epidendrum tes- 

 sellatum, £rica fl^orida var campanulata, ^ristolochia saccata, 

 Chenopodium Qidnba, Mammillaria atrata, and Dendrobium 

 aggregatum. 



Paxton^s Magaziiie of Botany. (Orr and Co. Is. 6d.) is of a 

 somewhat different character from the above; not being con- 

 fined to a mere record of new and interesting plants, but con- 

 taining much interesting horticultural information, derived from 

 many sources within the experience of its conductor, who, being 

 director of the princely horticultural establishment at Chats- 

 worth, possesses eminent advantages for such a task. The 

 plates, however, are execrable : badly engraved, and abominably 

 coloured. 



The Floral Cabinet (William Smith, Fleet Street. 2s. 6^.) en- 

 deavours to unite the best qualities of some of the preceding 

 works ; viz. general information connected with floriculture and 

 gardening, with plates got up in a style of excellence not to be 

 surpassed even by such works as the Orchidacecs of Mexico and 

 the Sertum. It is the only botanical periodical, upon this scale, 

 which has taken advantage of the superiority of lithography for 

 its plates ; and it is decidedly the cheapest now publishing. Its 

 first volume, handsomely bound in morocco, with gilt edges, and 

 containingyo/'/y^/^fehighly finished and splendidly coloured plates, 



