My Hundred Swiss Flowers. By Mary A. Pratten. (W. H.
Allen and Co.)—One can hardly conceive a more healthy and delightful occupation than botanising in the Alps. And those who are so inclined will find Miss Pratten's guide a great help. On the cover and frontispiece is the beautiful rhododendron, or Alpen rose, not to be confounded with the Alpine rose, which has a deep red colour. Other beautiful flowers are the Androsace Mull, Lychnis Alpina, Gentiana Bavarica, Ornithogalum Nutaus, and the ornate Lilium Bulbiferum. The splendid colour of the Androsace and the Gentian seems heightened by proximity of snow. Among interesting varieties, we may mention Paris quadri- folia, the False Ranunculus, and the Saxifrage. The Narcissus Poeticus, says Miss Pratten, blooms so early in the spring as to be seen by few tourists. Last, but not least, the Edelweiss, certainly the most famous and distinct of Swiss flowers, with its curious bracteas resembling petals cut out of white flannel. The pursuit of the Edelweiss is not attended by such dangers as one might suppose from the halo of romance which surrounds it. Swiss flowers should be certainly protected, and no roots allowed to leave the country.
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