VOL. IV.] Reviews. 411 



Potentilla supina var. Nicolletii is raised, and Viola canina var. 

 longipes restored, to specific rank. In No. 4, the author shows 

 that the Kew Index is not an unmixed blessing, by changing 

 the names of a couple of dozen Astragali. Of these changes 

 twenty-two are marked n. n., and two n. sp. ; A. scobinahilus 

 Sheldon taking the place of A. Haydenianus var. major which 

 was changed because of Astragalus glabriusculus var. major, and 

 Astragalus elatiocarpus Sheld. being substituted for Astragalus 

 lotiflorus forma br achy pus. A. ceramiciis Sheld. is substituted 

 for A. pictus; A. ceramicus var. Jonesii Sheld. for A. pidus var. 

 angustatus: A. ceramicus var. imperfectus Sheld. for A. pictus 

 var. Jilifolizis; A. accumbens Sheld. for A. procumbetis Wats.; 

 A. oblatus Sheld. for A. nudus Wats.; A. vexilliflexus Sheld. 

 for A. paucijlorus Hook.; A. gilvifloriis Sheld. for A. triphyllus 

 Pursh.; A. gambelliamis Sheld. for Astragalus nigrescens Nutt. 

 (crediting Prof. Greene by the way for "pointing out the 

 difference between this species and A. didymocarpus"); A. 

 apilosus Sheld. for A. glaber Michx.; A. spatulatus Sheld. for 

 A. ccsspitosus Gray; A. syrticolus Sheld. for A. ThompsoiicB 

 Wats, (changed on account of A. Thomsonianus Benth.); A. 

 Jepsoni Sheld. for A. demissus Greene; A. suturalis Sheld. 

 for A. eriocarpus Wats.; A. intousus Sheld. for A. villosus 

 Michx.; A. umbraticus Sheld. for A. sylvaticus Wats.; A. 

 famelicus Sheld. for A. fallax Wats.; A. asyvimetricus Sheld. for 

 A. le?icophyllus T. & G.; A. Watsoni Sheld, for A. Henderso7ii 

 Wats.; A. prcelongtis Sheld. for A. procerus Gray; A. strigosus 

 (Kellogg) Sheld. [A. hypoglottis L- var. strigosa Kelt.) for A. 

 tener Gray, and in consequence of this change, A. griseopubescens 

 Sheld. for A. strigosus Coult. & Fish.; A. coccineus (Parry) 

 Brandegee, a synonym of A. grandijlorus Wats, is kept up on 

 account of A. grandijlorus Pall, a synonym of Oxytropis grandi- 

 flora. Nearly all these names are changed on account of the 

 " once a synonym always a synonym " rule, which is made to 

 apply to synonyms of other genera and to varieties, not only as 

 against younger species, but as against varieties of other species. 

 Left to legitimate revisions it is not probable that a half dozen of 

 these names would ever have to be changed, and in view of the 

 vagueness of varieties in botany, and the fact that varietal names 



