458 Transactions. 



Flahault, of Montpellier, as president, Drs. Rendle and Mez as 

 vice-presidents, and Dr. Briquet as rapporteur, met and 

 worked steadily through the " Texte Synoptique," already 

 alluded to. Much discussion arose on several debatable points, 

 especially on the question as to the specific name to be adopted 

 when a species is transferred from one genus to another, the 

 result, as will be shown further on, being in favour of those 

 who adopt the earliest epithet bestowed upon the species. But 

 both in this and in other instances, although the points at issue 

 were very fully and freely discussed, there was a total absence 

 of all feeling, and an evident wish to arrive at a practical solution 

 which would be acceptable to the majority of botanists. Quite 

 four hours' work each afternoon for a whole week were found 

 not at all too much for the proper consideration of the many 

 intricate questions involved, and for the codification of the 

 recommendations as finally agreed upon. 



The main decisions of the Congress were promptly reported 

 in botanical and other scientific journals, but the official report 

 did not appear for considerably more than a year. It consists 

 of a quarto publication of 100 pages, bearing the title (in French, 

 English, and German) of " International Rules of Botanical 

 Nomenclature, adopted by the International Botanical Congress 

 of Vienna, 1905." The first sixteen pages are occupied by the 

 preface, and a valuable " concordance " of the Candollean 

 laws of 1867 with those now adopted. Pages 17 to 71 contain 

 the text of the rules, or " articles " as they are called, given 

 separately in French, English, and German. Pages 72 to 93 

 are taken up with a list of 408 " Nomina Conservanda " or 

 generic names which are in any case to be retained, chiefly on 

 account of long-established usage, although on the strict appli- 

 cation of the law of priority they should be rejected. Finally, 

 there is a useful " Index Analytique." But this report is only 

 an extract from a larger publication entitled " Actes de Congres 

 International de Botanique tenu a Vienne (Autriche) en 1905." 

 which contains a full report of the debates and proceedings 

 of the Congress, showing clearly the steps which led to the 

 adoption of the rules. 



It is not my intention to give the rules in full — every 

 botanist should possess a copy of his own; and as they have 

 been reprinted in pamphlet form by the proprietors of the 

 " Journal of Botany," and can be obtained for the low price of 

 Is., no one need be without them. I propose, however, to make 

 a few comments upon those which are of special interest to 

 Xew Zealand botanists. 



At the outset, it should he mentioned that the word " laws" 

 originally adopted by Alphonse de Candolle in 1867 is changed 



