THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 61 



ions of fungi which are exceedingly rich and varied. 

 In the pufif-balls and their alHes alone, there are ten 

 times as many specimens as there are in all the other museums 

 in the world combined. Mr. C. G. Lloyd is recognized as the 

 highest American authority in regard to puff-balls, etc., and is 

 fast pushing to the front as an authority in other groups of 

 fungi. This is not a little due to his original ways of looking 

 at the subject. Instead of sitting down in a museum and 

 drawing up, from dried specimens, still drier descriptions, he 

 has searched a great part of the world for living specimens. 

 His knowledge of the European species with which our own 

 are so often compared, has been obtained at first hand, and his 

 judgment in consequence is likely to be sound. May he have 

 the full success his energy and ability merit. 



* * * 



The editor of Mnhlenbergia is outspoken and emphatic in 

 his objection to that clause of the Vienna rules which requires 

 that all new species shall now be described in Latin and in this 

 he apparently voices the sentiments of most of those who fol- 

 low^ the "American code." "Writing about our plants in an 

 alien tongue," he says, "will not advance the work." There 

 are, however, certain contingencies doubtless over looked by 

 MiiJilenbergias sapient editor, in which he might devoutly 

 pray for the very thing he now rails against. For instance, 

 in the region covered by Mnhlenbergia there is an ever-increas- 

 ing number of Japanese, not a few of whom may elect to take 

 up botany bringing to bear upon that subject the same industry 

 and patience that have made them successful in other walks of 

 life. Finding various species unknown to science there is 

 nothing in the "American code" to prevent their describing 

 them in the Japanese Botanical Magazine in paint-brush char- 

 acters that will puzzle more occidentals than the worst dog- 

 Latin could possibly do. What shall then be done? ^^^ill the 



