Bibliographical Notices. 



341 



us much pleasure to learn that Dr. Deakin has had the good fortune 

 to meet with it. In the genus Polygonum we have again a strong 

 proof of the care with which the author is now preparing the de- 

 scriptive portion of his work, but at the same time evidence that he 

 is not acquainted with the more recent publications upon English 

 botany. He here introduces three species, two of which he considers 

 as new to our flora ; and the third he identifies with a plant noticed 

 as a variety by Smith, and not previously adopted as a species in our 

 books, although all the three will be found in the fourth edition of 

 Hooker's 'British Flora,' which was published in 1838. They are, 

 P. mite (Schrank), obtained by him in the neighbourhood of Lin- 

 coln ; P. dubium (Deakin), which is P. Raii (Bab.) ; P. Roberti 

 (Hook.), P. marinum (Ray), and P. aviculare e. (Sm.) ; and P. ma- 

 ritimum (Linn.), of which, although the characters, description and 

 figure are correct, the synonyms, and we fear also the localities, all 

 belong to the preceding species. 



The figures are usually six in each octavo plate, and certainly do 

 much credit (particularly the later ones) to the author, by whose 

 own hand we believe all the drawings were made. Although small 

 they are generally clear and characteristic, and are usually accom- 

 panied by dissections of the flower. Some of them are of peculiar 

 excellence, and will nearly all of them prove of considerable value, 

 when referred to in conjunction with the full descriptions, to those 

 young botanists who have not access to the plates of 'English Botany.' 

 It grieves us to be obliged to add, that the colouring is so very far 

 from good, that the uncoloured copies published at half the price are 

 decidedly superior to those which are coloured. 



After what we have already said, it will create no surprise that 

 several of the plants which have been recently detected in this coun- 

 try have not found a place in the present work ; we trust, however, 

 that they will be included in an appendix. The system adopted is 

 that of Linnaeus, and the last number that we have seen (58, April 

 1842) concludes with the genus Scler an thus . The numbers are pub- 

 lished monthly, and contain two plates and eight pages of de- 

 scription. 



In conclusion we may be allowed to express a hope that the au- 

 thor will continue the work with care equal to that which he has 

 shown in the portion already published, and then, we venture to 

 foretell, that this book must ultimately well repay both him and also 

 the publisher, as, in that case, it cannot fail to obtain the approba- 

 tion of the older, and to be generally used by the younger, botanists 

 of Britain. 



Transactions of the Botanical Society at Edinburgh. 2 Parts, 8vo, 

 pp. 132, with 7 Plates. Edinburgh, Maclachlan, Stewart and Co. 

 We are happy to find that the Botanical Society at Edinburgh has 



commenced publishing a volume of Transactions, of which two parts 



have already been printed. They contain several papers which will 



prove highly interesting to botanists. 



A report, by Dr. Greville, on the progress and state of Botany in 



