CHAP. r. GENERIC AND SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 
439 
signate. What is a coronula ? If it is a row of petals, why- 
call it otherwise? And it appears to be so, because it is imme- 
diately afterwards described as consisting of 10 — 12 distinct 
petals. In the next sentence, hypogina is misspelt; and the 
anthers are said to be bilocular and reniform, a character by 
no means essential; while their being covered with glandular 
dots, and the mode of their attachment to the filament, both 
of which should have been introduced, are omitted. Again, the 
germen, meaning the ovary, is said to be globulose : what is 
globulose ? Is it bullet-shaped, or round and small ? If the 
former, the term is inapplicable ; if the latter, the meaning 
is not expressed : it probably was intended for " subglobose." 
The capsule is said to be ovate, a quality of no consequence if 
it existed ; but not true, inasmuch as it appears from the figure 
to be round. The construction of what follows is what we 
call in English putting the cart before the horse : instead of 
"valvis medio septiferis 10 — 12 valvis," it should have been, 
" 10 — 12 valvis, valvis medio septiferis ;" and all that is said 
about the attachment of the seeds might have been better 
expressed by two words, " semina pendula." It is said that 
they are attached to the top of the valves, in the inside : did 
any one ever hear of seeds being attached to the outside? 
Let the character be properly cut down, and see what remains 
of it. 
MiCROSEMMA. 
^'Sepala 5 — 6, imbricata, persistentia. Petala 1 0 — 12. Stamina 
numerosa, hypogyna, submonadelpha : antheris bilocularibus. 
Ovarium superum ; stylus simplex ; stigmata 5 — 6. Capsula 
10-1 2-1 ocularis, valvis totidem loculicidis ; semina solitaria 
pendula ; albumen carnosum ; radicula supera." 
But it is not in inaccuracy of language alone, or in the 
misplacing the members of a sentence, that an essential 
character may be defective : it may be expressed with a good 
selection of terms, and a due attention to arrangement; but the 
terms may be wrongly applied, or important characters may 
be omitted, or the author may not understand the structure 
of what he is describing. Take, as an instance, the following 
character of Carex, by the late Sir James Smith : — 
F F 4 
