428 On the construction 



and arise from the usual situation and frequency of the particular 

 species being copied verbatim from a general Flora, and carelessly 

 applied to a local tract in utter defiance of fact. The same sort of 

 mistakes exist as to the times of flowering, through authors copying 

 their intimations of such from the works of others, and then pub- 

 lishing them as if set down on their own observation. Fifthly, the 

 general distribution of each species, and the localities of the rarer 

 ones, are to be precisely shown. These are commonly indicated 

 with more care and accuracy than is bestowed upon other matters, 

 in our local Floras ; but there is wide room for improvement even 

 here. In addition to stating the known localities for the rarer spe- 

 cies, authors should particularly distinguish those places in which 

 they have themselves seen the plants growing, as well as those sus- 

 pected to be erroneous, or in which the species has become extinct. 

 Facility for procuring specimens is one of the principal advantages 

 to be gained from having the localities especially pointed out. This 

 is little aided by the vague indications of a species growing " near" 

 a particular town or village, unless it be so frequent that a person 

 is almost certain to see it when arriving at the town or village men- 

 tioned. For guiding to a very local species, a fixed point adjacent 

 to its locality, with the bearing and distance of the latter from such 

 point, ought to be specified. We are aware that vague directions 

 are sometimes given with the express design of preventing success 

 to one seeking the plant, from the pretended — or, silly if not pre- 

 tended — fear lest species should be eradicated. They might as 

 well be eradicated as not be found ; and of what consequence is it, 

 if a species do disappear from our soil ? It is the sheer and selfish 

 babyism of the old virtuoso, not the expanded conceptions of the 

 man of science, or the dictates of an enlarged and liberal mind, that 

 whispers so paltry an excuse for studied concealment. Sixthly, We 

 should recommend the history of the species to be attended to. 

 Under this head, we would include the possible or probable intro- 

 duction of the species into the tract under consideration ; changes 

 that have occurred in its comparative scarcity or abundance ; alte- 

 rations in character, size, or general appearance, in connection with 

 differences of situation and season. The degree of probability that 

 a species, especially if a rare one, has been originally introduced by 

 human agency, we regret to say, is sometimes misrepresented by 

 local botanists. Botanical writers, too, often exhibit a great desire 

 to swell their lists of species by any means, and to exalt themselves 

 or their friends into discoverers of new species or localities. Strict 

 impartiality is scarcely compatible with the existence of such wishes, 



