206 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



Nomenclature has given rise to many keenly debated questions 

 of late years ; indeed, it has roused the odium scientificum at times to 

 an unwonted pitch. But out of the evil has arisen good ; and the 

 inquiries into nomenclature have led to more accuracy in a good 

 many cases, even although the result has been at times to show that 

 some well-known name must give place to a prior claimant resusci- 

 tated from a long repose. The pages of the Catalogue show many 

 cases of this nature (e.g. Nuphar becomes Nymphaa^ while the 

 former Nymph&a becomes Castalia ; Corydalis becomes Neckeria ; 

 Capsella becomes Bursa ; Lepigonum becomes Buda, etc.), and the 

 changes in generic names necessarily involve others in the names of 

 species. Those familiar with the " Student's Flora " or Babington's 

 " Manual," but who have not paid much heed to botanical journals, 

 will feel rather at a loss to recognise old and well-known friends in 

 the Catalogue under their new names ; but it is well to face the fact 

 that most of these names have returned to stay in our lists, and it is 

 well to accustom oneself to their use, however unwelcome they 

 may seem at present. 



The Catalogue further sweeps together the topographical results 

 of many new county records published during the nine years in 

 journals and transactions of local societies. A comparison of the 

 number of districts (Watsonian) recorded for each species in the 

 eighth and ninth editions will show how great is the advance in this 

 field. 



To Mr. F. J. Hanbury, and to those gentlemen that have aided 

 him with their wealth of study and observation, we owe a debt of 

 gratitude for their labours. 



WE have received from Mr. David Douglas an English and 

 revised edition of Herr Gatke's book " Heligoland : an Ornitho- 

 logical Observatory," a work which naturalists have long looked 

 forward to. We hope to give a notice of this handsome volume in 

 our October number. 



SINCE our notice of THE BOOK OF ANTELOPES in the "Annals" 

 (1894, p. 263), Mr. R. H. Porter has issued parts II. and III. of this 

 fine work, containing beautiful plates of the Korrigum, the Bontebok, 

 the Blessbok, the Sassaby, the Brindled Gnu, the White-tailed Gnu, 

 the Yellow- backed Duiker, Jentink's Duiker, the Natal Duiker, 

 Harvey's Duiker, the Black-fronted Duiker, the Bay Duiker, Ogilby's 

 Duiker, and the Red-flanked Duiker, by Messrs. Joseph Wolf and 

 J. Smit. 



