300 Recent Literature. [zoe 



Roman, the synonyms in Italic. In this part of the work there 

 are a good many errors, besides those which each botanist will 

 find for himself according to his views, but although it 

 will exactly suit no one, hardly two persons having quite the 

 same opinions, it is on the whole probably quite as satisfactory 

 as would be the work of any other. The lists of species are 

 certain to be eagerly welcomed by certain of the "once a syno- 

 nym always a synonym " botanists as furnishing opportunity for 

 unlimited changes, K. B. 



Transactions of the San Francisco Micro scopicat Society, Part I. 

 This first part of the publications of the Society is largely 

 historical, the exceptions being interesting articles by Dr. D. W. 

 Montgomery on Molluscum co7itagiosum; Marine Fossil Diatom- 

 acese from California, and their Zoolog}^ by Dr. A. M. Kd wards- 

 and the Santa Monica Diatomaceae by Henry C. Hyde. A 

 catalogue of its excellent microscopical librar}^ is supplied as well 

 as a list of the members, which embraces the names of men who 

 are able to and should do much good work. K. B. 



ErytJiea for September contains an article by Willis L. Jepson 

 on the expedition of I^a Perouse which visited California in 1786- 

 It is well to refresh occasionally our remembrance of the early 

 navigators, even in cases where their contributions to science 

 were from various causes but slight. Mrs. Ida M. Blochman 

 contributes a paper of interest on " Califoruian Herb-Lore." 

 Professor Greene furnishes an article on the distribution of some 

 western plants in which he tries to prove that our Madia sativa is 

 divisible into three species. His ' ' vernal " and ' ' aestival " periods 

 of flowering will be found quite as unreliable as they are in 

 Madia etegans. To save himself further trouble and to satsify 

 the anxiety of the student whom he quotes he might compare 

 Lepidiuni Menziesii Nutt. with L. bipinnatifidum Desv- so 

 generally diffused in South America. 



The October issue contains a number of West American 

 fungi by Ellis & Kverhart, more than half of them in " genera " 

 which are known to be but forms of other genera. Corrections 

 in Nomenclature iii, by Edward E- Greene, on the principle 

 of " once a synonym always a synonym " furnishes new names. 



