New Zealand Flora.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume II, Issue 215, 30 October 1888, Page 2

New Zealand Flora.

[WELLINGTON PRESS.] The second Part of Mr. and Mrs Featon’s admirable work, the Ari Album of New Zealand Flora, published by Messieurs Bock and Cousins, of Wellington, amply fulfils the high expectations which were raised by the first Part. It confirms the opinion which we formed when the first Part appeared, that this work, when completed, will be worthy to take its place as a companion of Sir Walter Buller’s famous Birds of New Zealand. Mr and Mrs Featon made a mistake, we think, and did not do themselves justice, in calling their book an Art Album. That the illustrations are works of art of a very high order is perfectly true; but the word album is apt to mislead by conveying the impression of a mere picture book, without any scientific or practical value. The truth is, this is the most important work on the New'Zealand Flora which has yet appeared, because, though the letter press is largely aud quite openly drawn from Sir Joseph Hooker’s excellent Handbook of New Zealand Flora, the splendid colored plates of thia book give it a serviceableness for travellers and students of nature at first hand, which the Handbook itself does not possess. The descriptionaof the orders, genera and species of plants treated of, moreover, are very clear and useful and quite [sufficiently scientific for all popular purposes ; and there are scattered throughout the chapters a groat variety of more or less digressive botanical ansodotes, which add greatly to its readableness whilst enhancing the interest of the plants themselves. In short, those who know nothing about botany, can learn a great deal of botany from this book in the course of their study of New Zealand flowers and, on the other hand, botanists will find much of other kinds of flower lore to interest and enlighten them. . . . . Where all are so good, it is not easy to choose any for special notice without seeming to imply some defect in others, which is wholly undeserved. We shall probably not be misunderstood, however, when we say -that the picture of the Kowhai-ngutu-kaka, the Scarlet Kowhai or Parrot bill, is the most magnificient of the series so far. The subject could not be surpassed for the purposes of the flower painter or the chromolithographer. Tha two colours, bright green and bright scarlet, stand in triking contrast and yet in perfect harmony) and the form of the plant is grace itself. The picture is as like the Kowhai as a photograph, and the colours are absolutely true to nature. It looks simply like a branch of Kowhai in full bloom, freshly cut from the shrub and laid on the page. Almost equally pleasing te the picture of tho Titoki, that charming and curious tree, so unlike all its forest oompanions, giving us a Strangs suggestion of an outlandish relationship to the Mountain Ash. Here it is to the life, with its crinkled, olive coloied leaves, and its gorgeous crimson arils bursting through their nut-brown capsules, and tipped with shining, coal black seeds. But we must not further prolong our notice in this delightful work. We look forward with great pleasure to receiving the third and final Part, which we are told will contain the gems of the New Zealand Fl >r». Meanwhile, we can say with confidence that Mr and Mrs Featon, most efficiently aided by Messieurs Book and Cousins, are performing a public service by the production of a work which has so long been needed. It te one Which ought to be in every country home where there are young people tb be instructed in the beauties of nature around them ; and it is certainly one which every intelligent visitor to the colony should secure for a travelling companion and a souvenir. What we particularly like about [it, with bur somewhat fastidious taste in such matters, is that it is thoroughly well designed jand oonsoientiouily [and ably chitted out in every respect.