other produced or lengthened out, angulated and truncated at the end:" a minute species found on the Kentish coast.-Pinna lævis, "Shell nearly triangular, horn colour, smooth; valves rugose on the posterior part:" dredged up on the coast of Shetland.-Bulla resiliens, "Shell oval, pellucid, elastic, spire somewhat depressed and canaliculated, or grooved along the margin:" found lately on the coasts of Devonshire and Hampshire, but first discovered by Mr. Cordiner on the shores of Bamíf.-Voluta triplicata (Walker fig. 50?) "Shell ovate, smooth, and brown; spire rather pointed; whorls six; pillar with three plaits." V. edentula, "Shell rather ovate, very smooth; spire obtuse; two plaits on the pillar lip; lip gibbous and slightly den. ticulated: dredged up in deep water on the coast of Weymouth. Buccinum brunneum, “Shell taper, brown, whorls transversely striated, and longitudinally undulated; aperture toothless:" found on the coast of Cornwall.-Murex angulatus, "Shell oblong; whorls depressed, angulated, transversely striated, sulcated longitudinally, aperture toothless :" from the sands at Brighton and Weymouth. M. bamffius, "Shell ventricose, white, ribbed longitudinally, with acute plaits:" communicated by Mr. Cordiner to the late duchess of Portland. M. emarginatus, "Shell somewhat elongated, pale, with a white band; wreaths striated with longitudinal undulations; on the posterior part of the lip a single notch:" from the western coast. M. elegans, "Spiral, rough, aperture ending in a straight and somewhat produced gutter, or canaliculation: discovered by Miss Pacock on the coast of Cornwall. M. septem-angulatus, "Shell oblong, acute, pale, with seven longitudinal angles :" from Weymouth. -Trochus conicus, "Shell conic, smooth, whitish, obliquely lineated with brown, whorls flattish, and finely striated:" from the coast of Devonshire.-Turbo fontinalis, "Shell umbilicated, subconic, wreaths ventricose, smooth." T. reticu. latus (Walker 3, 48?)" Shell tapering, reticulated with granules, testaceous, whorl reversed, aperture straitened:" found on the coast of Cornwall by Miss Pocock. T. mamillatus, "Shell imperforate, subovate, whorls striated with raised dots, and slightly angulated by a few of the stria, the dots of which are larger:" from the Scilly rocks. T. vit tatus," Shell smooth, taper, whitish,

whorls subobsolete; on the first three chesnut bands, one on the rest:" from the Menai. T. interruptus, "Shell smooth, taper, whitish, fasciated with an interrupted ochreous band:" from the Menai. T. costatus, "Shell taper, snowy white, with numerous obtuse longitudinal ribs :" found at Margate. T. pallidus, “Shell somewhat taper, pale, whorls very slightly bicarinated:" from the western coast. T. acutus, "Shell taper, acute, snowy white, whorls about twelve, with numer. ous oblique obtuse ribs:" from Cornwall and Guernsey. Helix pallida, "Shell inflated, slightly umbilicated, fragile, pale; whorls six, convex ; aperture semilunar:" found in some parts of Kent, and on the great Roman vale of Caer went, Monmouthshire. H. bullsides, "Shell ovate, smooth, glossy, horny, brittle, whorls reversed, spire short:" from Lincolnshire. H. fontinalis, "Shell imperforate, ovate, and pointed, glab rous, horny, volutions five, the first and second ventricose:" common in some of the rivulets of Devonshire.-Nerita intricata, "Shell smooth, spire somewhat pointed; umbilicus large, nearly hear shaped, with a small carinated lobe:" from Weymouth, variety of N. carrena? -Patella albida, "Shell fragile, entire. subrotund, whitish; vertex somewhat central, and slightly pointed; lip wither lateral:" from the coast of Cornwal -Dentalium octangulatum, “Shell white, somewhat curved, with eight ribs or an gles, and three intermediate stria:" from the coast of Cornwall. Variety c D. striatulum?

As the shells are unavoidably publish ed without regard to systematic arrange ment, the plates are numbered accor ingly. But all naturalists will doubtless be desirous, now the work is completed, to bind them up in a scientific order and they will have the satisfaction to find, that where two or more species ar given in the same plate, they are alwayi of the same genus, except in plate 179. which unfortunately contains species three different genera. If the letter press belonging to it were not absolutel incapable of being duly distributed, we ourselves should be inclined to cut the plate itself into three, and to paste the several parts on separate leaves. The matter of periodical publications in natural history, should always be so dis posed as finally to admit of a systematis arrangement.

already been described, and must de. signate those which he himself first introduces to the public, either by an old or a new generic name. In these respects Dr. Barton's Elements of Botany will be highly useful to his countrymen. The work, as we are told by an advertisement annexed to the author's preface, "was put into the hands of the English editor, with a request that he would look it over, and give his opinion, whether, if the American plants were exchanged for English ones, it might not be made a better introduction to botany than any we now have; and was found by him, on a cursory perusal, to be written in so popular a manner, and with so much greater variety of matter than is contained in our present elementary treatises on the subject, that he had no doubt of its proving acceptable to the public."

We take it for granted, that he did not mean to deny or to disparage the merits of several introductions to botany which have been published by English authors. Mr. Lee has given a pretty accurate translation of the Philosophia Botanica of Linnæus, the bible of almost all modern botanists. The Elcments of Botany by the late Mr. Rose, of Norwich, are a translation and epitome of many of the most useful theoretical writings of Linnæus; and, in the opinion of an unexceptionable judge, "are highly valuable, full of solid information, and not superseded by any other English publication." Rousseau's Letters on Botany, translated into Eng lish by professor Martyn, are an excellent illustration of some of the principal natural families; and the additional letters of the professor himself are an equally perspicuous and faithful guide to the knowledge of the Linnæan artificial system. The Elements. of Botany, by Dr. Hull of Manchester, contain much valuable matter, and are greatly enriched by the view which he has given of Hedwig's works on mosses, Persoon's on fungi, Gartner's on the fruits and seeds of plants, and Giscke's on the natural orders of Linnæus, none of which have appeared in the English language. Three of these authors have adopted that dry skeleton form which distinguishes the writings of their great master, and which, though of inestimable use in the way of reference, and occasional examination, is not the most happily calculated to attract and fix the attention of the youthful mind. The

letters of Rousseau and Martyn are easy and familiar, and skilfully combine entertainment with instruction: but they were not intended to comprehend the whole of the technical elements, or what may be called the grammar of the sys tem. One of Dr. Barton's excellences, if we mistake not, arises in a great degree from the diffuse didactic style to which he has been accustomed, in the frequent delivery of his professional lectures. It has often been observed that the best method of becoming completely acquainted with any subject, is to teach it to others. And it is equally true that no one can justly appretiate the difficul ties of a subject, and discover how they may most easily be removed or lessened, till he has experienced the necessity of endeavouring to explain them to those who know less than himself. In a soli tary course of study, men of the most vigorous minds are sometimes tempted to pass over, or slightly examine, what is obscure, that they may the sooner have the satisfaction of contemplating what is clear and incontrovertible. But when they are sensible that every branch of the subject must be discussed in its due order, and delivered in intelligible lan guage, and that questions may be asked for the elucidation of what is doubtfu they are convinced that every difficult must, if possible, be surmounted, and that the whole force of their facultic must be exerted in the task. It is in fact generally found that all the particulars of a subject are most minutely and strictly examined by those who are called to lead the ignorant and unexperienced, step by step, to a comprehensive and complete knowledge of the whole.

Dr. Barton divides his work into three parts. The first contains a pretty exte sive delineation of a plant, beginning with the root, and ending with the va rious organs of fructification; the second relates to vegetable physiology; and the third is confined to an explanation of the classes and orders in the Linnaan system.

The terminology of Linnæus is stated and illustrated in the first part, in a easy and pleasing a manner as the r ture of the subject would admit; and the whole is enlivened, as well as rendered more instructive, by occasional remarks pointing out its imperfections, and pro posing what in the author's ideas would be improvements. The advantage of these critical observations is obvious.

The pupil is formed by them to the important habit of reflecting on what he learns, and of exercising his reason and judgment, at the same time that he employs his understanding and memory, in the elementary part of his studies.

Thus in the section on what are called by Linnæus fulcra.

"The fulcra, or fulcres, are defined by the Swedish naturalist to be helps of the plant, for its more commodious sustentation, or support. Of these fulcres, Linnæus, at different times, enumerated a very different number. In the Fundamenta Botanica, published in 1736, they were six in number, and stood in the following order; viz. bractea, cirrhus, spina, aculeus, stipula, and glandula. In a subsequent edition of the same work, Linnæus enumerated nine fulcres, the three additional to those just mentioned, being the scapus, the petiolus, and the pedunculus, which our author had formerly considered as species of trunks. In his immortal work, the Philosophia Botanica, published in 1750, we find but seven species enumerated; viz. stipula, bractea, spina, aculeus, cirrhus, glandula, and pilus. In the Termini Botanici, published in the Amoenitates Academice, by John Elmgren, one of the pupils of the great naturalist, and in the Delineatio Plante, which is prefixed to the second voJume of the Systema Nature, the fulcres were to experience one more revolution. In these works, the terms aculeus and spina give way to the general term of arma; and pilus is supplanted by the less delicate, and less determinate, terin pubes, by which Linnæus means every species of pubescence, or hairy appearance, on the surface of plants. Glandula also is swallowed up in pubes, and the partial trunks, petiolus and pedunculus, are again to appear among the fulcres. The list now stood as follows; viz. Petiolus, tipula, cirrhus, pubes, arma, bractea, pedunculus.t

"I find it not a little difficult to satisfy my mind, as to the parts of the plant which

* Vol. VI. Dissertatio cxiii.

ought to be introduced under this general head of fuleres. I do not think the science of botany would lose much of its value, by the entire abolition of the term. Certain it is, that several of the articles enumerated by Linnæus cannot, with any degree of propríety, be considered as props, for the more commodious sustentation of the plant. Upon what principle can we denominate the spina, the aculeus, the glandula, and the pilus, species of props? Perhaps bractea and sti title. But I dare not think of abolishing a pula have not a much higher claim to this able botanists; though one of the most disterm, sanctioned by the authority of so many tinguished of them has confessed, that the term is rather forced."

Thus also on the subject of pube

scence.

"Linnæus asserts, that an experienced botanist will often find it easy to determine, from an inspection of plants, whether they belong to Africa, Asia, America, or the Alpine countries: though he may not be able to say, by what feature, in the general physiognomy, he has made the distinction. The Swedish naturalist, however, speaks of the American plants as being verdant, and smooth. I do not doubt, that to the vege tables of extensive tracts of the three portions of the world which Linnæus has mentioned, a kind of national physiognomy often belongs: as we observe, that even the human inhabitants of such countries have a set of features exclusively belonging to them. Thus an Anglo-American may, very generally, be distinguished from an Englishman. But I suspect that there is much more difficulty than Linnæus seems to have imagined, in deciding, with certainty, from the mere facies, or aspect, of vegetables, upon the native countries of those vegetables. How, indeed, can this be doubted, when it is considered, that the very same species of vegetables are common to two, and even three quarters of the globe? Thus, the northern

reface.

✰ Dr. James Edward Smith,

parts of North America, and the northern parts of Europe, possess a considerable number of vegetables in common with each other. Many species are common to Siberia, Kamtschatka, Japan, &c. and to the north of America. A considerable number are common to the United States and to Hindoostan; and even a few are common to the Cape of Good Hope and North America.

"That the American plants are peculiarly smooth, I am far from being convinced. Linnæus might have found, in our woods, very many species covered over with all the various kinds of pubes, pubescentia, or pilus, which he has mentioned. I can not but suspect, that the great naturalist, misled by the phantom of a false analogy, conceived the plants of America very smooth, partly, at least, because the man of America has been so generally deemed, and by Linnæust, among other writers, beardless, and smoothskinned. But we now know, that the Indians of America are not more smooth than are the Japanese, the Chinese, the Koriaks, and many other nations or hordes of Asia."

And thus with respect to the second Linnæan kind of calyx.

"It is difficult to say in what very essential circumstance the involucre of those plants which are not umbelliferous, such as cornus or dogwood, some species of anemone, &c. differs from the bractea, or bracte. It would seem, indeed, that Linnaeus's principal rea son for separating the involucre from the bracte was this, that he might make use of the former part in drawing his generic characters of the umbelliferæ."§

As a specimen of the entertaining in formation intermingled with this part of the work, we shall select the observations on the first appearance and fall of deciduous leaves.

in which any given species of vegetable n folds its first leaves, is denominated, by Lin. næus, frondescentia. To this subject, we Swedish naturalist has paid much attention. He made a great number of observations, in eighteen different provinces of his nause country, situated between the sixtieth and seventieth degree of north latitude, in the years 1750, 1751, and 1752. It was his ob ject to discover, which species of trees begia to open their buds, and unfold their leaves, at the most proper time for the sowing of barley. The result of his enquiries was, that the birch-tree (betula alnus) gave the most proper indication for this purpose. Hjustly imagined, that in every province of Europe, there exist other trees, which w in like manner, indicate the proper time fr sowing grains of different kinds, and al esculent herbs. This is, certainly, a subjort worthy of the attention of naturalists, whose inquiries are directed to utility. Much in portant information would result from an extensive investigation of the subject. The agricultural rules of savage nations are inquently founded, in a great measure, u the frondescence, together with the time of flowering of different vegetables, indigencas in their countries. Thus, the Indians, different parts of North America, are of op nion, that the best time for planting maize, or Indian corn, is when the leaves af the white oak first make their appearance, or rather, as they express it, when the lea of this common tree are of the size of

squirrel's ears. I shall have occasion touch again on this subject, when treat of the calendarium Flora, or calendar Flora.++

+ Systema Naturæ, tom. i. p. 29.

Quercus alba.

* From de, and folium, a leaf.