VOL, Iv.] Reviews. 4II 
Potentilla supina var. Nicolletié is raised, and Viola canina var. 
longtpes restored, to specific rank. In No. 4, the author shows 
that the Kew Index is not an unmixed blessing, by chan ing 
the names of a couple of dozen Astragali. Of these changes 
twenty-two are marked n. n., and two n. sp.; 4. scobinatulus 
Sheldon taking the place of 4. Haydenianus var. mayor which 
was changed because of Astragalus glabriusculus var. major, and 
Astragalus elatiocarpus Sheld. being substituted for Astragalus 
lotiflorus forma brachypus. A. ceramicus Sheld. is substituted 
for 4. pictus; A. ceramicus var. Jonesii Sheld. for A. pictus var. 
angustatus; A. ceramicus var. imperfectus Sheld. for A. pictus 
var. jilifolius; A. accumbens Sheld. for A. procumbens Wats.; 
A. oblatus Sneld. for A. nudus Wats.; A. vexilliflexus Sheld. 
for 4. pauciflorus Hook.; A. gilviflorus Sheld. for A. triphyllus 
Pursh.; A. gambellianus Sheld. for Astragalus nigrescens Nutt. 
(crediting Prof. Greene by the way for ‘‘pointing out the 
difference between this species and A. didymocarpus”); A. 
apilosus Sheld. for 4. glaber Michx.; A. spatulatus Sheld. for 
A. cespitosus Gray; A. syrticolus Sheld. for A. Thompsone 
Wats. (changed on account of A. Thomsontanus Benth.); A. 
Jepsoni Sheid. for A. demissus Greene; A. suturalis Sheld. 
for A. eriocarpus Wats.; A. intonsus Sheld. for A. villosus 
Michx.;: 4. umbraticus Sheld. for A. sylvaticus Wats.; A. 
famelicus Sheld. for A. fallax Wats.; A. asymmetricus Sheld. for 
A, lencophyllus T. & G.; A. Watsont Sheld. for A. fendersont 
Wats.; A. prelongus Sheld. for A. procerus Gray; A. strigosus 
(Kellogg) Sheld. (4. hypoglottis L. var. strigosa Kell.) for A. 
tener Gray, and in consequence of this change, 4. g7iseopubescens 
Sheld. for 4. strigosus Coult. & Fish.; A. coccineus (Parry) 
Brandegee, a synonym of 4. grandiflorus Wats. is kept up on 
account of A. grandiflorus Pall. a synonym of Oxytropis grandi- 
flora. Nearly all these names are changed on account of the 
‘once a synonym always a synonym ”’ rule, which is made to 
apply to synonyms of other genera and to varieties, not only as 
against younger species, but as against varieties of other species. 
Left to legitimate revisions it is not probable that a half dozen of 
these names would ever have to be changed, and in view of the 
vagueness of varieties in botany, and the fact that varietal names 
