78 
manuscript one, should have been changed by Rostafinski. Well, 
if the unreasonableness of supplanting a published name by a 
“ manuscript one” is not evident to Mr. Massee, why did he not 
restore Stemonitis trechispora B. and C. for S. dictyospora, Rost., on 
page 83? Can it be that the cause of this inconsistency was that 
dealbatum could be put into another genus and have “ Mass.” 
after it? The fact that “ Mass.” is written for every cause and no 
cause preserves us from this suspicion, but leaves us no theory for 
explaining the difference in the treatment of two exactly parallel 
cases. 
On page 231 is Didymium neglectum, Mass. (nov. sp).” The 
fact that this name had been used by Berkeley for a species con- 
sidered by our author, (p. 224) to be synonymous with D. 
squamulosum, was perhaps overlooked by him—perhaps not. 
Considering the variability of D. farinaceum the characters on 
which the new species rests are of very uncertain value, but if it 
should prove to be distinct it might be well to call it D. Masseet. 
It is always well to havea species sufficiently described, but 
Didymium flavidum, Peck, is especially honored in being described 
twice, the first description (p. 247) purporting to be based on an 
«Authentic specimen from Peck, in Herb., Kew,’ while the second 
(p. 251) isacopy of Peck’s original description placed under the re- 
mark, “Owing to imperfect diagnoses and absence of type speci- 
mens, the following cannot be arranged in their respective sec- 
tions.” 
Appropriate names are a pleasant aid to the memory, but this 
is hardly sufficient to justify what we find on page 263, where 
having decided that three species of Craterium, vulgare, pyriforme, 
~ and smznutum, should be looked upon as one, our author writes — 
them all down as C. confusum, Mass.!_ Well, the species had had | 
eight or ten names before, so that an additional one is a matter of 
no great importance. Sticklers for priority will probably call the - 
species C. minutum (Leers)—if they agree that the three are prop- 
erly merged. There is another Craterium minutum (p. 273) de- 
scribed by Kickx, which name must, of course, be changed. : 
Physarum compressum is given as a synonym of P. nefroideum 
(p. 286), but later on (p. 291) there is a long discussion as ta 
whether it is not the same as P. Phillipsit. 
