HOW TO FACILITATE THE STUDY OF BOTANY. 219 



accompanied by small leaves, bracts, "shields" ; and bracteoles, 

 "shieldlets." The stalk of the "flower-stand " is termed peduncle, 

 "flower-stem" ; when rising from the ground, and not forming part 

 of the stem, it is called scape. The flower-stand is often more or 

 less enclosed in a spathe, " wrapper" ; or an involucrum, " skirt." 



The leaves consist of the blade, the petiole or '* leaf stalk," and 

 sometimes the "sheath" and stipules, "leaflings." The buds formed 

 in the angle between the stem and the leaf are called axillary buds, 

 "corner-buds." Leaves may be linear, lanceolate, "lancet-shaped"; 

 elliptic, "oblong"; ovate, " egg-shaped" ; cordate, "heart-shaped"; 

 hastate, "spear-shaped" ; cuneate, "wedge-shaped" ; orbicular, 

 "round"; ob-ovate, "reverse egg-shaped"; reniform, "kidney- 

 shaped"; peltate, "shield-shaped," &c. &c. ; entire, undulate, 

 "wavy"; sinuate, "scolloped"; dentate, "toothed"; serrate, "saw- 

 toothed" ; crenate, " round-toothed" ; lobed, laciniate, " jagged'' ; 

 fimbriate, " fringed" ; semi-pinnate or pinnate partite, " half- 

 finned" ; pinnate, "finned"; bi-pinnate, "double-finned"; palmate, 

 "fan-shaped"; digitate, "fingered"; pedate, "foot-shaped," 

 pedati-sect, "foot-fingered," &c, &c. 



This is naturally only a short sketch, and only a few of the nume- 

 rous botanical terms have been mentioned, but I should be very 

 happy if the Society would give its support to a complete revision 

 of all the existing botanical terms, and I have no doubt that such a 

 step would lead to vastly increase the number of students of 

 Botany, and in the end would materially further the progress of this 

 unfortunately neglected science. 



In conclusion, it may be remarked that such a revised terminology 

 could not be advantageously used in purely scientific works, 

 calculated to have a cosmopolitan distribution, but such works 

 should be written in the Latin tongue, which for foreigners at least 

 is not more difficult to understand thau the existing English 

 botanical terminology. 



AN INDIAN NATURALIST'S TRIP TO AUSTRALIA. 

 By Surgeon-Major K. R. Kirtikar. 



To a student of Botany and Zoology the vast island-continent of 

 Australia affords an interminable field of the most interesting and 

 29 



