548 Notices of Books . [October, 
made to rank higher than the Annulosa, and that the order 
Bimana is still retained — two relics of Cuvierianism scarcely on 
a level with the general standard of the author’s teachings. As 
regards the value of the work there can scarcely exist two 
opinions. As a text-book of the historical phase of palaeontology 
it will be indispensable to students, whether specially pursuing 
geology or biology, and without it no man who aspires even to 
an outline knowledge of Natural Science can deem his library 
complete. 
A New London Flora, or Handbook to the Botanical Localities 
of the Metropolitan Districts. Compiled from the Latest 
Authorities, and from Personal Observation, by Eyre Ch. 
de Crespigny, M.D. London : Hardwicke and Bogue. 
The author of this little manual remarks very truly that a new 
London Flora is much required. The suburban localities for 
rare or interesting species, such as we knew them in our youth, 
exist merely in tradition. They have been desecrated by the 
land-speculator and the “ navvy.” Woodland, heath, and com- 
mon now produce little save a crop, more pretentious than inte- 
resting, of semi-detached villas. Even where the plague of 
bricks and mortar has been averted, every wild flower of at all 
striking appearance, and well nigh every fern save the Pteris 
aquilina , have been long since dug out and carried off to be sold. 
As the author remarks, “ It is a question now-a-days not what 
there is, but what there is not in the way of rarity.” The Lon- 
don district, however, within the average thirty-mile radius taken 
in this manual, is still rich in species. Of the total 1665 plants 
which — exclusive of Charads and minor Cryptogams — occur in 
all Britain-— no fewer than 1250 occur in the metropolitan region. 
Here, however, both author and reader are brought in contact 
with the vexed question, What is a species ? Dr. de Crespigny 
evidently does not agree with the so-called “ splitters,” who 
would elevate every variety to the rank of a species. But for 
this evil- — as it undoubtedly is- — the remedy is still to seek. 
Given a certain group of closely-allied forms, animal or vegetable, 
one observer may refer the specimens laid beiore him to ten 
species, whilst another may conceive that he has proved the 
existence of twenty, and neither can convidt his opponent of 
error. Does not all this help to undermine the current idea of 
“ species ” as an immutable and objective reality ? 
The author first gives an alphabetical list of species, with 
their time of flowering and with their localities, save, of course, 
such as are to be found everywhere. The other main sedtion of 
the work is devoted to a description of the chief botanical 
localities, with an enumeration of their produdtions. We notice 
