THE BRITISH NATURALIST. 



243 



would lay down is that a name must be suitable in order to be 

 retained. This is to introduce an element of instability with a 

 vengeance ; suitability is a matter of opinion, and upon it there will 

 never be agreement. If nomenclature is ever to be settled upon a 

 fixed and stable basis it can only, as I think, be by the adoption of 

 one of the following principles : Either the " law of priority " must 

 be accepted absolutely and the doubtful points arising in its applica- 

 tion submitted to the decision of a few experts, or " use and wont " 

 must be the guiding determinant. Upon either basis a settlement 

 might be arrived at without much difficulty ; to be generally accepted 

 however it must be the result of agreement between the experts of all 

 countries. 



In conclusion let me say that in writing these criticisms I have 

 been actuated by no desire merely to score a victory over Mr. Dale ; 

 my object has been to put those who, by the nature of the case, cannot 

 consult the authorities for themselves, in possession of as accurate 

 materials for forming a judgment as possible. Every statement I 

 have made has been based upon a first-hand acquaintance with the 

 work upon which the statement is founded. 



"NOTES ON THE FLORA OF GUERNSEY." 



BY DR. THEODORE GREEN, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., LONDON. 

 (Read before the Liverpool Naturalists 1 Field Club at the Royal Institution, 27th Oct., 1893.) 



The misguided person who first said : — " See Naples and die," 

 meaning that after Naples no other place was worth seeing, very 

 evidently had never been to Guernsey. 



Many people go to Naples, beholding it first from the deck of a 

 steamer, and they do die — of cholera, typhoid, and other unpleasant 

 disorders, from inhaling the poisonous fumes arising from the drainage 

 which flows into that bay, the beauty of which poets and guide books 

 rave about. But those who go to Guernsey don't die. They live : 

 and look forward to going again. The island is a perfect paradise for 

 lovers of natural history. Moreover, St. Peter welcomes all to his Port, 

 and never sends anyone away. There are about 16,000 inhabitants 

 of the capital, St. Peter's Port, and their lot is enviable in many ways. 

 It is somewhat refreshing to us, the poor denizens of a sub-arctic 

 climate, to find no further use for overcoats or snowshoes. Here, we 

 find flourishing out of doors the year round, Aloes, Yucca and other 

 Palms, and the Eucalyptus tree. Also the graceful Tamarisk, some- 

 times thirty feet high, forming in summer a delicious shade for the 

 fisherman's cottage ; its delicate green foliage being complemented by 



