426 On the construction 



Flora, by the ready mode of transcribing from the general works of 

 a similar nature, and so small a share of fame attaches to the most 

 laborious, and even original, exertions in this way, that we cannot 

 attribute a great share of the motives for writing, to the small "va- 

 nity of making a book, large or little. 



First, a local Flora, we take it, ought to relate to a definite area, 

 and not pretend to include a wider space than has been really and 

 well investigated. In neglect of the latter part of this rule, all the 

 negative evidence, or that touching the absence of species, becomes 

 altogether worthless ; and, in some instances, it is rendered worse 

 than worthless, by inducing botanists to presume the absence of 

 particular species, within the specified area, contrary to what is the 

 fact. If no definite limits be fixed, both positive and negative evi- 

 dence are greatly diminished in value, and the pretended local Flora 

 is very little better than an imperfectly got up fragment of a gene- 

 ral Flora. Secondly, we should ha^e a full list of species and the 

 more remarkable varieties ; the nomenclature being adapted to that 

 of the standard Floras which relate to Britain generally ; generic 

 and specific characters, descriptions and references, being altogether 

 omitted. The necessity of as full a list of species as possible is 

 founded on the importance of thus marking the absent species, as 

 well as those which do exist within the area of the Flora. Conve- 

 nience suggests a uniformity of nomenclature with that employed 

 in the general Floras ; the synonyms, from two or three of the stand- 

 ard works of this kind, being added to species described in such 

 works under different names. All references to pages, &c. are thus 

 rendered unnecessary, the name itself becoming a clear and unex- 

 ceptionable reference ; while the omission of other references takes 

 off so much from the bulk and cost of the work. The frequent cus- 

 tom of referring to the figures in English Botany is altogether un- 

 necessary. Only the local student can need such references, and 

 he finds them all in the general Floras ; if, indeed, as often happens, 

 these references be not utterly useless to him, from want of access 

 to the plates cited. It is on the score of their being unavoidably 

 attended by a great augmentation in the prices of the works, with- 

 out any equivalent advantage, that we would make a clean sweep- 

 ing away of all descriptions of plants, whether limited to the gene- 

 ric and specific characters, or being of a more detailed kind. To 

 persons who already know the plants, such descriptions are quite 

 unnecessary, and almost every student of botany will possess one of 

 the general Floras, in which the descriptions may be found set forth 

 quite as well. Indeed, as we have intimated, such descriptions are 



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