CURRENT NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 213 



Corrceponbcnce* 



To the Editor of flie Journal of Alicroscopy ajid Nattcral Scie?ice. 



Sir,— 



Referring to the letters of Mr. H. W. Lett in your April issue, 

 I would say that Sambucus ebulus is not so rare as his words may lead readers 

 to think. It is rare in the sense of being local, but it is found in 70 out of the 

 112 botanical "counties" into which Britain is divided according to the 

 "London Catalogue"—/.^-, it has the same "census number" as Typha 

 lati/olia, Slum AugustifoliKni, Dipsacus sylvestris, and many others, while 

 Sambucus vigra, the Common Elder, has only 90 for its census number. 



The Banewort is often passed over by even experienced botanists, partly 

 because the popular idea of its rarity lessens their watchfulness in looking 

 out for it. 



Mr. Letts' second note I agree with, in so far as his praise of your Journal 

 goes, but I do think it would be a pity to make it monthly at the expense of 

 such full and thorough papers as we now get. It fills a place that no other 

 journal fills in supplying us with papers that give a grasp of their respective 

 subjects almost impossible to obtain in shorter papers, which a monthly issue 

 would almost necessitate. These papers are popular and readable, and, at the 

 same time, scientific and accurate. The Journal is issued at a most reasonable 

 price, and as a "Quarterly" would be greatly missed by many. We have 

 many science " monthlies," but no "quarterly" that I know of other than 

 expensive ones, and those technical and uninteresting to general readers. 



I would rather say increase its present quarterly bulk, and make it 2/- 

 instead of 1/6. Put in plenty of Reviews, as in the current issue, and, as 

 Mr. Lett suggests, start a Query and Correspondence Column. I share his 

 desire to have the Journal coming in oftcner, but I should be sorry to see it 

 lessen in the thoroughness and fulness of its pages, if the monthly issue 

 involved that change. I should like to hear further opinions on this subject. 



5 



I am, yours truly, 



H, W, S. Worsi.ey-Benison. 



Current Botce anb fIDcinoran&a. 



Owing to pressure of valuable matter which we were anxious 

 to give to our readers, we have ])een obliged to extend the current part of the 

 Journal to 80 pages, and are still unable to find room for our usual " Half- 

 Hour with Mr. Tuffen West," and the "Selected Notes;" these are, 

 however, in type, and the plates i^rinted, and will appear, without fail, in 

 our next- 



