416 Scientific Intelligence. 



tions of about one hundred species new to science, comprise 

 only one-tenth of all the well-characterized species which he 

 has added. g. l. g. 



2. Key to the System of Victorian JPlatits, I ; by Baron Ferd. 

 von Mueller, [Melbourne, 1887-88. pp. 559, 12mo. With map]. 

 Part 2 of this useful work was published in 1885, and comprised 

 an enumeration of the native species arranged under genera and 

 orders, with annotations of their regional distribution, and with 

 152 illustrations on wood. 



The part which has just come to hand gives a dichotomous 

 arrangement of the orders, genera and species of the native plants, 

 with annotations of their primary distinctions and supporting 

 characteristics. The whole work is marked by two important 

 features, (1) there are extremely few abbreviations in the treatise, 

 even where abbreviations could have been used to economise 

 space without endangering clearness 3 (2) some of the technical 

 terms differ from those generally in vogue. Among these terms 

 may be mentioned the following, — ovulary for ovary, albument 

 for albumen, hairlet for hair, placenta? 'y for placenta, etc. These 

 organography alterations introduced " into these pages for the 

 first time, in contrast to zoologic terms have been ventured on 

 only tentatively, but from a desire of the author to simplify the 

 wordings for organs of plants in a book written especially 'for 

 almost a new country and particulai'ly for the juvenile portion of 

 its population." It is difficult to see why such zoological terms 

 as ovary, hair, and albumen should have been changed for the 

 sake of contrast, while the following should have been retained, — - 

 valve, lobe, membrane, and filament. 



The arrangement of the key is exceedingly convenient, and 

 enables a student to trace out the name of a plant with great 

 rapidity. At the end of the volume there is a list of plants 

 "hitherto immigrated and naturalized in Victoria, with indications 

 of their nativity and English popular names." A few of these 

 200 plants are noted as coming from Asia, or from Africa, or from 

 Europe, but almost all have placed against their names the three 

 countries with no specific assignment : 23 of the list are given as 

 coming from America. A second table gives the vernacular names 

 of indigenous plants. Here we get the names, " Wattle," " Mal- 

 lee," " Currajong," etc., and also some given off-hand by the 

 settlers, " Wooly Butt," "Stringy-bark," "Pig-face," "Double- 

 tail," and " Sand-stay," while by far the greater number merely 

 echo the familiar names which the settlers have brought from 

 home, such as " Avens," Rib-herb," and the like. 



It is with an ever fresh surprise that one reads in these lists of 

 plants supposed to be indigenous, such names as Myosurus mini- 

 mus, Cakile maritima, Potentilla anserina, Verbena officinalis, etc. 

 It is certain that the geographical botanist of the future will re- 

 vise many of these decisions and assign to such plants some date 

 of an earlier introduction, and withdraw them from the catalogue 

 of indigenous plants. The strenuous efforts which Baron von 



