INTRODUCTION TO BRITISH BOTANY 



AND EXPLANATION OF TERMS, ETC. 



Though the highest claim of this volume is to introduce the lover 

 6f Nature to an acquaintance with the common British plants, the 

 author has given to his first chapter the somewhat presuming title 

 of an " Introduction to British Botany," lest those into whose 

 hands the work may fall should pass over the earlier part of it as 

 a treatise or summary of contents so little connected with what 

 follows, that the perusal of it may be omitted or deferred with 

 safety. So far is this from being the case, that the reader who is 

 unacquainted with the elements of botany will find the body of 

 the work of little use, unless he carefully peruses the earlier pages, 

 and makes himself thoroughly acquainted with the general plan. 



The limits of a work of this kind will not allow any account of 

 the internal structure of plants, or of the functions of their various 

 organs. Nor, indeed, is such description necessary in a work 

 which professes merely to teach the unscientific how to find out 

 the names of the flowers they may happen to fall in with in the 

 course of their country rambles. Such a knowledge of plants as 

 this, it may be said, and said with truth, is not Botany ; never- 

 theless, it is a step towards Botany : for there can be no doubt 

 that scientific treatises on this subject would often be studied with 

 pleasure, if the reader were familiar with simply the outward appear- 

 ance of the examples quoted : just as we take greater interest in 

 accounts of astronomical discoveries, if we have seen and handled 

 a telescope, than if we had merely had one described to us, no 

 matter with what accuracy and minuteness. The reader, then, or, 

 inasmuch as even the elementary knowledge of a science can only 

 be attained by study, the student who wishes to make this volume 

 practically useful in enabling him to find out the names of our 

 common wild flowers, is recommended to re"ad with care and atten- 

 tion the following pages, into which the author has introduced 

 nothing but what is essential to the proper understanding of the 

 body of the work, and so to the attainment of his object. 



Before a novice can commence the study of any science he must 

 make himself acquainted with the terms employed by writers on 

 that science ; he must not be frightened if things new to him 

 should have strange names. Unmeaning and hard to be remem- 

 bered they must appear to him at first, but this will be only as long 



