SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



M9 



point out (lint before as is a standard work on the 

 subjects, with information up in the most recent 

 date. The arrangement of tin- letterpress is good, 

 and the pages are nol overladen with unnecessary 

 scientific terms. We have the pleasure of repro- 

 ducing, with permission of the publishers, one of 

 the illustrations as an example of their i sccellence. 

 We can strongly recommend Part II. of this treatise 

 on zoologj . 



Handbook of BritisJi Huh,. By Willi \m Men i.i: 

 ROGERS, F.L.S. xiv : 111 pp.. '.» in. x5j in. (Lon- 

 don : Duckworth & Co.) 53. 



At length, after a period of thirty-one yi ars, 

 there has been placed before students of our native 

 plants a work devoted entirely to the enumeration 

 and description of the brambles or blackberries 

 indigenous to the British Isles. The only previous 

 work of this nature was the late Professor Babing- 

 ton's " British Bubi,' - issued in 1869, Since that 



an 1 it will be found that there are brambles whose 

 characteristics ap] eal more readihj to tin- eye than 

 tip- di ffert cups. In 



this b ok Hi'- section of the genus comprising the 

 brai 9 proper,. 'excluding the raspberry, cloud- 

 berry, etc., is divided by the author into fourteen 

 group-, some of which we think could with advan- 

 i.-ij. : amalgamated. Following the enumeration 

 of tli.- characters limiting these groups is a con- 

 E t 1m- species, and afterwards comes a full 

 description of each kind, with remarks upon habi- 

 tat and affinities. An appendix indicates the 

 county distribution of each bramble throughout 

 the British Isles. The author holds the peculiar 

 view that certain brambles have originated by 

 means of hybridisation between otheT speci 

 This is by no means a new theory, and is -hand 

 by prominent workers a1 this and other highly 

 '■ critical " genera. Botanists who study plant 

 forms from an evolutionary basis are scarcely 



Ventriculites, imagined reconstruction. 

 From " .1 Treatise on Zoology." 



time immense "strides have been made in the know- 

 ledge of the forms of Rubm inhabiting Great 

 Britain : new species have been described and 

 others identified with Continental brambles. Un- 

 doubtedly the plants treated in this Handbook are 

 not popular with even those who take more than a 

 superficial interest in British plants. Brambli s, in 

 more senses than one, are a very thorny subject. 

 and it is to be hoped that the Rev. Mr. Rogers's 

 work will remove some of the difficulties attendant 

 upon the study of these very "critical" plants. 

 It may surprise some readers to learn that in the 

 British I.-les are found more than one hundred and 

 seventy sj eeies. sub-species, and varieties of black- 

 berries, brambles, dewberries, ami allies: so that 

 anyone commencing the study of this genus is 

 likely to have plenty of material to work uj on for 

 some years. It is. we believe, a rather widely- 

 held opinion that one bramble is much like am ther. 

 So is one kind of 'out ten up much like another kind, 



likely to acquiesce in this solution of the rr'ein 

 of plants which may be inconveniently ii ter- 

 mediate between others ; and we think the most 

 damaging evidence that can be brought forward 

 in opposition to this view is that bramble hybii Is 

 usually fail to perfect seed. Hybrids propi 

 left untouched by the autl 



much space in a handbook; but it would have 

 been well if a list of known bramble hybri 

 given, as such hybrids are quite frequent. The 

 preparation and completion of this work h - 

 accomplished in spite of serious physical draw- 

 backs; and now that - >*ary a guide has 

 been placed within the reach of tie! 

 It ii- hope a great impetus will 2 to the 

 if what is really a group of very interesting 

 plants. In this way we can < .\j r :ss i ur ii • 



r the years of _ work which has 



i in this •■ IP, Rubi."— 



< i: B. 



