M2 



Biblioyr up Ideal Notices. 



Britain, from March 1839 to February 1840 inclusive, is ably drawn 

 up, and contains, in the form of an appendix, an arranged catalogue 

 of all the works, papers and monographs which were published in 

 Britain during that period. If such reports are prepared in a simi- 

 lar manner in future, they will be interesting records of British bo- 

 tany, and will prove valuable works of reference. We understand 

 that Dr. Balfour has recently continued this report, and that it will 

 be brought up to the present date by Dr. Graham. Mr. Babington 

 has contributed several papers. The first is on the British Atripli- 

 ce<e, in which he endeavours to elucidate the species contained in this 

 neglected tribe. He has included the species under the genera Atri- 

 plex (Linn.) and Halimus (Wallr.). Under the former he notices the 

 species littoralis (Linn.), marina (Linn.), angustifolia (Sm.), erecta 

 (Huds.), prostrata (Bouch.),^ata/a (Linn.), microsperma (W. et K.), 

 deltoidea (Bab.), rosea (Linn.), and laciniata (Linn.). Under the lat- 

 ter he describes H. pedunculatus (Wallr.) and portulacoides (Wallr.). 

 The distinctions between the species are founded chiefly on the form 

 of the leaves and of the calyx of the fruit, and of these correct deli- 

 neations are given. 



In his next paper Mr. Babington treats of another difficult genus, 

 viz. Fumaria. The British species are noticed under the names ca- 

 preolata (Linn.), officinalis (Linn.), calycina (Bab.), parvijiora (Lam.), 

 and Vaillantii (Loisel.) ; and he has, in our opinion, cleared up many 

 of the difficulties connected with the species and produced a mono- 

 graph of great value. The paper is accompanied with wood-cuts, 

 showing the characters derived from the calyx, the comparative 

 lengths of the peduncles and bracts, and the forms of the fruit. 



In addition to these communications Mr. Babington has also fur- 

 nished a third on the true Hypericum quadrangulum of Linnseus. 



Dr. Greville has taken up the subject of the botanical characters 

 of the British Oaks, and has given excellent delineations of the vari- 

 ous forms of the leaves and fruit, thereby showing that it is not as 

 yet determined if we possess one or three distinct native species in 

 this country, and pointing out the necessity of further observations. 



Mr. Edward Forbes, honourably known for his zoological as well 

 as for botanical papers, has supplied observations on the specific va- 

 lue of the antherine appendages of the genus Viola. He shows that, 

 by the form of the nectaries, (either lanceolate, rotund, or linear,) 

 combined with characters taken from the leaf and colour, a very na- 

 tural arrangement may be made of the species of Viola. 



Mr. Hewett Watson's paper on the Distribution of British Ferns 

 is one of great interest, and is accompanied by detailed lists showing 

 the range of the species. 



A new Jungermannia is described and figured by Dr. Taylor, the 

 well-known and celebrated coadjutor of Sir W. Hooker in the ' Mus- 

 cologia Britannica,' under the name of J. Lyoni ; and a new fossil, 

 supposed to be allied to the genus Orthos, and denominated Ortho- 

 cites Grantonii, is noticed and figured by Dr. Robert Paterson. 



Dr. James Macaulay gives a sketch of the botanical regions in the 

 Island of Madeira, and Mr. Dickie makes remarks on the structure 



