The Flora of Ireland. 205 



X. Fermanagh^ Cavan, Monaghan, Tyrone, Armagh. 

 XI. Donegal and City of Londonderry. 

 XII. Down, Antrim, Derry. 



The introduction concludes with a table, showing the dis- 

 tribution of the plants in the districts. 



The Contributions towards a Gybele Hibernica present 

 the features of a good " Local Flora." The materials are 

 arranged somewhat after the plan of Mr. Watson's Gybele 

 Britannica — whence the title. The natural system is followed ; 

 the technical and popular names of each species are given ; 

 as also the districts in which it occurs ; its habitats, time of 

 flowering, and when known, its altitudinal range ; in the case 

 of rare plants localities are enumerated. 



The body of the work is interspersed with observations on 

 the many species discarded as Irish, either because they are 

 not considered natives, or have become extinct, or because 

 about which no authentic information or specimen has been 

 obtained. 



There are good indices to the Latin and English names. 



From a glance at pp. vi. — xv., we gather that the editors 

 have had a paucity of material at their command, and perhaps 

 they have experienced a reluctance on the part of authors and 

 correspondents to avow errors of determinations. These 

 circumstances have clearly entailed on them much field in- 

 vestigation. 



Too much praise cannot be accorded to Dr. D. Moore and 

 Mr. A. G. More for the successful issue of their meritorious 

 labours. They are, however, aware of the incompleteness of 

 this production, and appeal to the botanists of Ireland " to 

 assist them in the preparation of a more complete work," 

 adding that " there is an ample field yet open in the explo- 

 ration of the flora of their native country." 



One interesting branch of study is recommended — " The 

 upper and lower limits of the elevation of plants," regarding 

 which, it is very properly observed, " that little is gained by 

 the statement, that a species descends to sea-level in one 

 district, while it ascends to 3000 feet in another ; it is only by 

 comparing both upper and lower limits in each different range 

 of hills, or at least in each of the chief groups, that any useful 

 results can be expected.'" 



Gybele, as employed by Watson to express the distribu- 

 tion of plants upon the earth's surface, and adopted in the 

 present work, is somewhat misapplied. The volume " is merely 

 a revised list of the wild plants of Ireland, with a classified 

 summary of their localities •" it deals in no generalizations, 

 and is inferior in many particulars to some of our good Local 

 Floras. 



