SUMMER IN THE TROPICS. 
2 9 
In this mass of pre-Linnaean literature there are two books of 
special interest to the general American student of botany. Park¬ 
inson’s. Herbal (1640) is, perhaps, the most noteworthy in the 
English language and in its 1,688 folio pages one will find a vast 
fund of information concerning the early popular names of plants, 
their supposed medicinal properties and quaint methods of use, 
together with many of the legends and bits of folk-lore connected 
with common plants. The work is quite copiously illustrated. 
The other work is historically more interesting, as it was the 
first work published in which we find illustrations of our common 
American plants. It was published in 1635 and is thus only 
fifteen years later than the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth 
and is a small octavo. It bears the title in Latin: Jac. Cornuti 
| DoctoMs ‘Medici || Parisiensis || Canadensium plant arum | 
aliarumque nondum edit arum || Hist aria. 
We reproduce two of the plates published by Cornut in order 
to give a better idea of this early work. It will be noted that both 
bear binomial names, although published about a hundred years 
before Linnaeus had entered the field of publication. It will be 
further noted* that one of them bears the identical name it bears 
to-day, Asaron being only the Greek form of our present Asarum. 
Finally it may be said that the botanical libraries at St. Louis, 
Cambridge and New York all contain numerous examples of the 
various herbals where those interested may consult them at 
pleasure. 
A SUMMER IN THE TROPICS. 
By Mary M. Brackett. 
( Conclusion .) 
One morning, about eight o’clock, we passed Solomon, the 
stable boy, going down the road with an empty wheelbarrow. He 
said that Mrs. Harris had sent him to market to buy mangoes. 
We had heard of the Cinchona market held once a week at a 
near-by cross-roads, and we decided to join the procession of 
black folk moving toward St. Helen’s Gap. The babel of many 
voices told us when we were drawing near, and at a turn in the 
