194 



HARD WICKE 'S S CIENCE - G O SSI P. 



Mr. Boulger hints that botanists should modify, if 

 necessary, the spelling of a modern substantive name, 

 which they may adopt into the language of science as 

 a generic term, and therefore he condemns the terms 

 Richardia and Richardsonia, because the h has been 

 retained. I cannot agree with him here. Such 

 advice seems unwarrantable, and, if followed, would 

 do irreparable mischief in the tendency to destroy 

 the etymology, and likewise neutralize the compli- 

 mentary idea associated with the adoption (if a per- 

 son's name) of the word into scientific use. It is at 

 variance, too, with the laws of nomenclature, as laid 

 down by M. Alph. de Candolle, and as received as 

 "the best guide for nomenclature in the vegetable 

 kingdom" by the "International Botanical Con- 

 gress of 1867." In this body of laws. Article 27 

 states that, " When the name of a genus, sub-genus, 

 or section, is taken from the name of a person .... 

 the spelling of the syllables .... is preserved zvith- 

 oiit alteration, even zuitk letters or diphthongs noio 

 ernployed in certain languages, but not in Latin.'''' 

 Moreover, in the above instances, the h in union with 

 the c is in perfect harmony, in form at least, with 

 that which combines with the c to represent the 

 Greek chi in Achillea, Orohanche, &c. Again, the ch 

 in Fiuhsia has a totally different sound, and where is 

 the propriety for altering the form? There seems 

 something more edifying by retaining the form of 

 the adopted name as whole as possible, and by follow- 

 ing the correct pronunciation of it, than by subjecting 

 it to mutilation both in form and sound for the pur- 

 pose of rendering it in supposed uniformity with the 

 simile of dead languages. There is not the vestige 

 of fascination or interest in the latter course. Not 

 that those languages can be undervalued for the 

 purposes of science, and something might be perhaps 

 urged against the introduction of spurious terms 

 from a modern source into the vocabulary of science; 

 but purists must take into consideration the import- 

 ance and claims of association, though these may be 

 after all inferior to those connected with names which 

 express principal characters in the individual plant, 

 or such as would call to mind the affinities or the 

 analogies of the genus, and hence pursued on the plan 

 adhered to mainly in the selection of names to desig- 

 nate the higher groups. In respect to the compara- 

 tive euphony between the adjectival terms Brozsinii 

 and Brunii, one must admit the preference for the 

 latter; but any tendency to confusion by the modifica- 

 tion, or to nullify the purpose for which the particular 

 name was given, should be remembered. There 

 are two genera of plants to which the terms Brownea 

 and Brtmonia — both distinct genera, but etymolo- 

 gically identical — are applied. Brnnonia is far 

 better, euphonically, as Mr. Boulger would point 

 out. But there is also another genus named Brunia, 

 derived from C. Brnn. If the rule suggested, then, 

 were followed, Brunia might have come from Brozan 

 or Brim, and if from the former, both the compliment- 



ary importance and the etymological form be sacri- 

 ficed for the sake of a sound that is a little more 

 pleasing. 



I have ventured to trespass beyond the limits of 

 sjDace I had intended, but my plea is an aim at 

 reform. Although the pronunciation of botanical 

 names is of but secondary importance, yet, if a free 

 and sober discussion upon this subject would be the 

 means of leading to a greater facility and uniformity 

 of articulation, the object attained would be more 

 than worthy the effort bestowed by authorities for 

 instruction. Authorities, it is true, differ; but in 

 words containing the Greek and Latin guttural repre- 

 sentatives, the usage of our Universities is now pretty 

 generally adopted ; that is to say, by articulating 

 those characters in scientific names in the same way 

 as we do when reading English. Geiim, Potmno- 

 geton, &c., should not accordingly be pronounced 

 with a guttural g, as Mr. Alcock pleads, but after 

 Withering rather, from whom he quotes that c and g 

 before e and /, and before a: and a: should be ren- 

 dered sibilant ; before other diphthongs, guttural. 



A WELSH MEADOW. 



DURING the last week in June Mr. James Britten 

 and I spent three days in North Wales, some- 

 times walking, sometimes travelling by rail, from 

 Llangollen to Dolgelley. Whilst at the latter place 

 we took an evening stroll along a road leading to the 

 foot of Cader Idris, and some three miles or more 

 from Dolgelley we came upon a small meadow, cer- 

 tainly not more than an acre in extent, which appeared 

 from the road to be almost covered with various kinds 

 of Orchids. On a closer inspection, we found great 

 quantities of Gymnadetiia conopsea, of Habenaria 

 chlorantha, of Listera ovata, and of Orchis niactdata, 

 and such a profusion of many other pretty and some 

 not very common plants, that we determined to search 

 the place carefully, and for our own amusement to 

 put down all the species we could find in this fertile 

 little spot. The list soon became so large as to 

 astonish ourselves, and I am tempted to send it for 

 the edification of my fellow-readers of SciENCE- 

 GossiP. Probably there is scarcely another acre to 

 be found containing not only so many species of wild 

 plants, but so many individuals of certain species. 

 It was the gayest little garden imaginable. At the 

 time of our visit it was perhaps chiefly conspicuous 

 for the Orchids, and for the amazing undergrowth of 

 Fairy Flax ; but at various times other plants will be 

 in the ascendant. The moister portions will by this 

 time be yellow over with the fragrant Asphodel, and 

 the drier parts will soon be blue with Scabious; 

 whilst the pretty pink Pedicularis will give it a rosy 

 tint. The following is ihe list, set down without 

 reference to arrangement, pretty much in the order in 

 which the plants were found. 



