444 III. SEGREGATES AND 
would have made a fourth species, had not this numerical increase 
been prevented by placing the true lactea as a variety of the 
Babingtonian canina. The three adopted species— sylvatica, 
canina (including lactea), and stagnina—are there at length fairly 
discriminated by physiological characters, derived from their 
different modes of growth or evolution. Nature is at length 
understood. 
Thus have these canine violets remained up to edition sixth, in 
which another of them is added by name of arenaria ; whether a true 
species, or a dwarf hill and sand form of sylvatica, for the present 
may be held “an open question.” The Author of the ‘Manual’ 
keeps it away from its near-akin sylvatica, by placing his canina 
between them, and so getting arenaria between his subform lactea 
and stagnina. Thus, the important character of “flowering 
branches axillary from a short flowerless central rosette of leaves,” 
the very character which connects them, is virtually blinked. In 
‘English Botany,’ more faithful to natural affinities, the plant is 
mentioned under sylvatica, as the “ V. arenaria D.C. which closely 
resembles Riviniana.” 
The arrangement of these canine violets in ‘English Botany,’ 
though not materially different, is improved in clearness and 
expressiveness. Three primary “species” are described there ; 
two of them subdivided into secondary or segregate “ sub-species,” 
thus :-— 
1. Viola sylvatica, Fries. 
1. Riviniana, Reich. 
2. Reichenbachiana, Bor. 
(? arenaria, DC.) 
u. Viola canina, Bab. 
1. flavicornis, Sm. 
2. lactea, Sm. 
iu. Viola stagnina, not subdivided. 
This arrangement shews well the similitudes or relationships 
between the plants; in each instance, the distinctions between 
1 and 2 being of slighter kind or character, than are those 
between 1, u, mr. Riviniana and Reichenbachiana, however, seem 
