* 
1878 . Recent Literature. 687 
Much care has evidently been taken in the selection of the type 
used for different purposes, and in the general “get up” of the 
book. It is a satisfaction to see that Dr. Gray has not counte- 
nanced, in the writing of botanical names, the methods of punctu- 
ation and the disuse of capital letters. so generally favored by ` 
American zodlogists and entomologists, and which some would 
force upon our botanists. Whatever may be the rules of punctu- 
ation in Latin or in the Continental languages, in the use of the 
English language the same principles should apply in writing 
upon botany as upon other subjects. In general, thus far, this has 
been the case. English-writing botanists, and most English Latin- 
writing botanists, as well, have been united in their adhesion to 
English customs in this matter, and it is to be hoped that they 
will so remain. 
The portion of the gamopetalous flora here described includes 
1560 native species, belonging to 298 genera. The introduced 
plants add twenty-six genera and ninety-six species. A compari- 
son with the number of species native to the region covered by 
the “ Manual” (as given in the second edition) makes the prob- 
able entire number of phenogamous species in North America to 
lie between nine and ten thousand. The same conclusion is 
deduced from the number of polypetalous species as enumerated 
in the “ Bibliographical Index.” The mean result from the two 
comparisons is 9,378 species, so that 10,000 is very probably a 
7 approximate limit. Of the 298 genera, 120 have only a 
ngle species each. By far the most important order is that of 
vig Scrophulariacee, containing 38 genera and 315 species, the 
next in order being the Ladiate, with 37 genera, but only 189 
species. These orders, with the Ericacee, Borraginacee, Hydro- 
phyllacee and Polemoniacee, include nearly half of the genera and 
over three-fifths of the species. The largest genera are Pentstemon 
with 71, Gita with 70, and Phacelia with 56 species. 
As regards the distribution of this flora, it appears from a very 
cursory examination that it divides readily into an eastern, a cen- 
tral and a western section. The first may be considered as cov- 
Atlante States. Of the nae 450 species, 28 are high 
northern and do not enter the United States, 8 are Mexican and 
not yet found within our limits, 290 are mainly soutien: belong- 
ing to the warmer and dryer interior, and 103 are ound onlyin © = 
the Rocky Mountains or the cooler region westward to Oregon. 
Had Greenland been included in the limits E by Dr. m : a 2 
