326 ADDITIONAL SPECIES, ETC. 



question is one of some importance to botanical geogra- 

 phers, when we find the name of George Don still the 

 only authority for the existence, actually or formerly, of 

 several species recorded in the Floras of Britain ; also, for 

 the original nativity of some other species that were first 

 announced by him, although other collectors have since 

 confirmed the present existence of the species in or near 

 the places first indicated by him. When George Don be- 

 came a collector of plants for sale the mountains of Scot- 

 land had been very partially examined, and much of the 

 ground that he most frequented was very little known to 

 botanists. Under these circumstances, it was exceedingly 

 probable that he would discover some new species, and 

 also many new stations for species previously known in 

 the flora of Britain. It appears that he was in the habit 

 of bringing the plants so found into his garden for culti- 

 vation ; and there can be scarcely a doubt that he occa- 

 sionally gave or sold plants from his garden, without 

 explaining that they were not sent dii-ect from native 

 localities, but indirectly through liis own garden. When 

 we add to tliis obvious source of error, on the i^art both 

 of sender and of receiver, the fact that botanists were far 

 less particular about the real nativity of specimens, some 

 half century ago ; and also that George Don himself, not 

 having received a scientific education, was loose even 

 among the loose, in his indications and reports of locali- 

 ties, the presumption of frequ.ent errors becomes very 

 strong. Hence, I come to the conclusion, that everything 

 reported by or from Don, and remaining unverified after 

 modern search, ought to be excluded from our lists of 

 native plants and their stations ; it being safer in science 

 to take the chance of losing a few truths of small detail, 

 than to run very gi"eat risk of mingling many errors with 

 our presumed facts. Still, I do not see that anything at 



