82 BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 



Oesterr. Bot. Zeltschrift (Dec). — A., van Degen, ' Ueber die 

 systematische Stellung der Moehrini/ia Tkomawinn.' — • R. v. Wett- 

 stein, ^Euphrasia' (coat.). — A. Nestler, ' Unfcersuclmngen iibor 

 Fasciationen ' (2 pi.). — F. Krauzlin, ' Orchidacete Papuans.' 



BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, d-c. 



Dr. G. E. Post is making rapid progress with his Flora of Syria, 

 six hundred pages of which are already in type. The work will 

 contain a large number of new species, and is likely to present 

 many features of interest. The ground covered is from Sinai to 

 Taurus, and from the Mediterranean to the Syrian desert. 



The first Appendix to the Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information 

 for 1895, bearing that year on its title and first page, was published 

 during November. It contains the Kew seed-list for 1894. 



The eccentric guise in which scientific names are wont to appear 

 in newspapers is perhaps not to be wondered at, but we have a 

 right to expect better things from a journal "published under the 

 authority of the Council" of the Royal Geographical Society, and 

 edited by its assistant-secretary. Yet in a notice occupying little 

 more than a page of the Geographical Journal for December, five 

 out of the fourteen plant-names are misspelt, these being such 

 well-known ones as Helichysum (twice spelt " Heinichysum "), 

 Sanseviera (" Sanseii-era," twice), Domhcya (" Domhea "), Disa 

 [" Dysa"), and Hyplucne (" Hyjuehne'''). " Senecios" and " en- 

 j)horbias " are not Latin words, and should not be in italics. 

 •'Baker, fils." (twice) is an unusual abbreviation. The IHsa 

 named is a hitherto unpublished species, of which no description 

 is given — a practice which is becoming sadly too frequent, and 

 which ought to be stopped. 



We have received the first instalment of the Conspectus Flora 

 Africa;, by MM. Durand and Schinz, which extends to nearly a 

 thousand pages, and includes the Monocotyledons and Gymno- 

 sperms. We hope to review it at an early date. 



We have received four publications of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, dealing mostly with edible and poisonous 

 Fungi. They are reports prepared by Dr. Thomas Taylor, who is 

 "Chief of the Division of Microscopy." Tiie Reports are well 

 illustrated with coloured and other figures, but their greatest 

 interest to us is in the enterprise of the Department of Agriculture 

 that issues them. The great extension of work in plant pathology 

 undertaken officially in the United States, and the great activity 

 generally of the Department of Agriculture in botanical matters, 

 throws into the shade the eflbrts of our Board of Agriculture and 

 of the County Councils — increasingly useful though these be. The 

 Department of State in America appears to discharge, in addition, 

 some of the functions of our Royal Agricultural Society. 



We regret to record the death of Dr. F. Buchanan White, of 

 whom we hope to publish some account in our next issue. 



