94 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



Wilmott gave his opinion that the monotypic genera were the oldest, 

 because Time was the real factor, allowing the greater number 

 of species in the older genera to be killed off. Dr. Willis replied that 

 his main argument was based upon computations of groups and 

 genera en masse, and could not be controverted by an appeal to special 

 instances. 



By the death of Dr. John Harley, a nativ^e of Ludlow, the Linnean 

 Society loses one of its oldest members. He was elected on June 18, 

 1863, and the volume of the Society's Transactions (xxiv.) of the 

 same year contains a paj)er by him on the parasitism of the Mistletoe, 

 which he studied in the hope of finding some light on the causes of 

 malignant growths in the human subject. In this Harley gives a 

 detailed description of the anatomy of the parasite and the portion of 

 the host to which it is attached, and demonstrates the very close 

 relation existing between host and parasite. From an examination of 

 the structure of the wood of the different hosts he concluded that 

 the size and number of the medullary rays is the chief cause which 

 determines in any given case the attachment of the Mistletoe. Harley 

 was perhaps better known as a geologist, but he was a man of Avide 

 interests, literary and scientific. On retiring from his London 

 practice he built a house at Beedings, near Pulborough, Sussex, on 

 the site of an old British camp which dominates the surrounding 

 country. Here he planned a garden, which he was always pleased to 

 show to one or other of his scientific friends. ExcejDt for deafness, 

 he retained remarkable vigour of mind and body until within a few 

 days of his death, on the 9th of December, at the age of 88. A. B. K. 



The Proceedings of the Isle of Wight Natural History Society 

 for 1920 (vol. i. no. 1) contains a list of Fungi hitherto unrecorded 

 for the island and one of additional localities for species already 

 known there, by Mr. John F. Rayner, with accounts of numerous 

 excursions and exhibitions which indicate great activity on the part 

 of the members. Copies {2s. post free) can be obtained from the 

 Hon. Secretary, Mr. Frank Morey, The Mall, Newport. 



The number of Dr. Pole-Evans's Flowering Plants of South 

 Africa issued in January includes among its ten plates several 

 species hitherto unfigured: — Ceropegia tristis Hutchinson, sp. n., 

 Aloe WicJcensii Pole-Evans, Hessea Zeyheri Baker, Watson ia Gal- 

 pinii L. Bolus, Holmskioldia speciosa Hutchinson & Corbishle}^ 

 We note that the name Kniphofa alooides Moench. is assigned to 

 the "Red-hot Poker," thus following the Flora Capensis ; the plant, 

 however, is the Aloe Uvaria of Linnaeus (Sp. PI. 323), and Hooker's 

 name, K. Tlvaria (Bot. Mag. t. 4816) should stand. The drawing 

 of Hessea Zeyheri was " kindly loaned by the Curator of the Bolus 

 Herbarium " — why not " lent " ? It may be noted that " the descrip- 

 tions are prepared by Dr. E. Percy Phillips, verified at Kew by 

 Mr. J. Hutchinson." 



The Annals o^ the Royal Botanic Gardens^ Peradeniya (vol. vii. 

 pt. 3, Oct. 1921) is devoted to a continuation of Mr. Fetch's " Studies 

 in Entomogenous Fungi." The genera Hypocrclla and Aschersonia 



