CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 139 



and should be glad to learn its place of growth, and 

 more of its history, from you. 



I am not sure that Mr. Newton was the first inventor 

 of that plant I put under his name. I rather suspect 

 Mr. Lawson might be. I mean no more by putting his 

 name to it than that it is published in his work under 

 that name, as I do by the names of other authors, v. g. 

 Abies Ger. Purl\ However, he was the first showed it 

 to me, and gave me as much as I have set down of the 

 history of it. Dr. Plucknet's observation of the vesicles 

 on the back side of the leaves deserves to be added to 

 •its description. 



I am not positive in asserting the plant called Homio- 

 nitis to be only a variety of Pliyllitis \8colopendrium 

 vulgar e, Linn.], and not a distinct species, but only put 

 it doAvn as my suspicion. You that have seen it, and 

 know it better than I do, are better able to judge of that ; 

 but the Hemionitis, vera Dioscoridis of Lobel I assert to 

 be nothing but a small Pliyllitis growing in a shady 

 place. Your advice concerning inserting the varieties of 

 sundry species, especially such as are esteemed for their 

 beauty or variety, I approve, and shall observe. How- 

 beit, it is not my intention to supersede the use of any 

 approved botanic authors, but my reasons for attempting 

 this Avork were — 1. To satisfy the importunity of some 

 friends who solicited me to undertake it. 2. To give 

 some light to young students in the reading and com- 

 paring other herbarists, by correcting mistakes, and illus- 

 trating what is obscure, and extricating what is perplex 

 and entangled, and in cutting off what is superfluous, or, 

 under different titles, repeated for distinct. 3. To alle- 

 viate the charge of such as are not able to purchase many 

 books ; to which end I endeavour an enumeration of all 

 the species already described and published. 4. To 

 facilitate the learning of plants, if need be, without a 

 guide or demonstrator, by so methodizing of them, and 

 giving such certain and obvious characteristic notes of 

 the genera, that it shall not be difficult for any man that 



