REVIEWS. 
349 
sees them, as the sole method of treatment of gardens of all sorts and sizes, 
they are liable to become absurd ; but in larger and well-arranged grounds 
masses of colour are very effective, and Mr. Heath himself must admit that 
they are by no means unknown in nature. Florists’ flowers, double flowers, 
and, in fact, all garden varieties of plants, are treated from a similar point of 
view, — all, in Mr. Heath’s opinion, are mere monstrosities ; and we are left to 
infer that therefore they can have no beauty in them, — a proposition from 
which we must beg leave to dissent. In fact, it seems to us that our author 
would have made his argument quite as strong and more acceptable had he 
omitted all reference to the 1 false taste ’ of the ordinary horticulturist. 
The true purpose of his book is the exposition of the course to be followed 
and the pleasure to be obtained in the formation of a wilderness of our native 
plants. He opens it with the description of a visit paid on a hot summer’s 
day to the gardep of a friend, laid out on the most approved modern model, 
followed by an account of a dream he had when, overcome by the heat and 
the brilliancy of the place, he dropped off to sleep in the friendly shelter of a 
handsome pagoda. In this dream was revealed to him in the most approved 
fashion, the beautiful result that might be produced by devoting a space of 
ground like that he had been inspecting to the production of a garden of 
plants in their natural wild state, and with their natural conditions of growth 
realized as far as possible. 
Many of us, no doubt, have dreamt of delights of various kinds, but un- 
fortunately all dreams are not prophetic. Mr. Heath, however, was lucky 
enough to arrive at the fulfilment of his vision, by acquiring a house with a 
large piece of ground attached to it which had not been disfigured by any 
of those horticultural abominations against which Mr. Heath’s soul revolts. 
The previous occupier had simply planted a row of lime-trees round it, 
leaving the centre an expanse of gravel and turf, with a few shrubs. The 
presence of a small stream of water was a further advantage. Here, in fact, 
were all the elements required for carrying out the scheme, and Mr. Heath 
set to work upon it at once with his accustomed enthusiasm. In this little 
book we have the history of his proceedings told in his usual pleasant style. 
We shall not attempt to follow the author through the various details he 
gives for the guidance of such as may choose to devote the ground at their 
command, or a part of it, to the formation of a wild garden, but the enthu- 
siasm with which Mr. Heath expounds his doings will no doubt lead many 
to wish, at any rate, to follow his example. For any one with a taste for 
botanical studies, no more interesting application of a bit of garden-ground 
could be suggested. 
ILLUSIONS* 
I LLUSIONS are usually defined as sensations produced by a false percep- 
tion of objects. When these false sensations are immediately detected 
* Illusions. By James Sully. Vol. xxxiv. International Scientific 
Series. London : C. Kegan Paul & Co. 8vo. 1881. 
