REVIEWS OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
109 
characters, and yet differ amongst themselves by some slight or accidental cir¬ 
cumstance only. This difference constitutes a variety, and is not permanent. 
It arises generally from soil and climate. Size, colour, smoothness, or some other 
character of slight importance, does not affect their specific distinctions. Double 
flowers and different colours are mere varieties. If, for instance, we sow the 
seeds of a white variety of the Common Lilac, it produces very few plants of the 
same colour. The greatest number return to the original species, and produce the 
Lilac , so called from its colour. 
Thus, characters which distinguish classes, orders, genera, species, and varieties, 
embrace every condition the whole vegetable kingdom can assume, and are there¬ 
fore the complete fabric of our system. 
To Linnaeus we owe that beautifully simple mode of assigning trivial names 
as specific, along with those of the genera. For instance, round, short, long¬ 
leaved, water, meadow, hairy, smooth, climbing, &c. &c. Before his time almost 
every plant had a different name, unmeaning, obscure, and accidental as our own 
surnames; nay, sometimes the same designation was given to plants essentially 
dissimilar. Linnaeus thus gave a precision to the science as great and useful as 
that of assigning Christian names to our surnames. 
The remaining lectures, being chiefly occupied by minute examinations of the 
most prominent genera in each class, do not admit of abridgment. In conclusion, 
we may observe that we shall be very glad to hear of similar gratuitous exposi¬ 
tions of the various departments of Natural History, by those who are competent 
to the task; and we hope Mr. Roby’s example may stimulate others to the like 
exertions. 
REVIEWS OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
British Oology ; being Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds, with Figures of 
each Species, as far as practicable, drawn and coloured from Nature : accompanied 
by Descriptions of the Materials of their Nests, Number of Eggs, &c. By 
William C. Hewitson. Newcastle-upon-Tyne : Currie and Bowman; W. 
Edwards , London. June, 1838. No. xxxvii. Royal 8vo. 
With this number concludes the only work of any value in the same line 
extant. It contains illustrations of several eggs, an index, an interesting preface, 
and a list of subscribers. The species included are, the Dartford Whinling 
(Melizophilus provincialis), the Glaucous Gull, the American Coccyzus, the 
Wood Sandpiper, the Common, Scaup and Tufted Pochards, the Kentish Plover, 
