242 



THE Jol'RNAL OF BOTANY 



descriptions of hundreds of new species, not one of which can be 

 found save by the tedious process of searching through many pages 

 of print. With the volume is issued an excellent "Register" of 

 the novelties described in the first twenty-five volumes of the 

 Jahrbiu'her, which, although by no means adequate as an index, is 

 some help towards ascertaining the systematic contents of the 

 series ; it would appear therefore as if botanists must wait twenty- 

 five years for a list of species described, or index each volume for 

 themselves. The contrast between Bhodora, whose '24G pages occupy 

 28 columns of index, and the Jahrbiirkn-, which considers about a 

 page sufficient for the 705 which follow it, would be ludicrous if 

 the inconvenience to workers could be left out of the question. It 

 is to be hoped that Prof. Eugler will take steps to justify the 

 reputation for method which Germany holds among scientific 

 workers. The Botanisches Centralblatt (vol. Ixxix.) has a most 

 elaborate series of indexes, twenty-three in number, each arranged 

 under authors' names ; these occupy 13 pages. 



The Xiiovo Ginniale Botanico ludiaito and its adjunct the 

 Biillettino give only a list of papers under authors* names alpha- 

 betically arranged ; that is to say, there is no index. Mdl/jighla is 

 in like case ; and so is the Annuario del B. Istitutu Botanico di 

 Roma, except that in this the authors are not even arranged alpha- 

 betically. 



A comparatively recent practice, which originated, if I am not 

 mistaken, in this Journal for 1885, and is now generally adopted, 

 is the indication (by the addition of an asteri.^k or by dift'ereuce of 

 type) of novelties — wdiether penera, species, varieties, or new combi- 

 nations — publi>hed in the volume. This is manifestly a convenient 

 method, and should be universally adopted. 



In connection with this subject, a word may be said as to the 

 indexes of systematic works. Considering how small the point is, 

 it is remarkable how much inconvenience is caused by not printing 

 the name of the genus at the head of each column, even when it is 

 continued from the one preceding. This is omitted in Nyman's 

 Conspectus, to the great detriment of ready reference. In the two 

 Floras of Africa, now issuing at Kew under the same editorship, the 

 name is given in one and omitted in the other. This apparently 

 arises from the following with Chinese exactness the method 

 adopted in the earlier volumes of each work; which, however, does 

 not seem to have prevented the introduction of the new plan of 

 spelling adjectival forms of proper names with a small initial 

 letter. In the general index to the Flora of British India the 

 preferable mode was adopted, although to the single volumes the 

 indexes were printed in the criticized form. The maximum in- 

 convenience is supplied in the Hand-list of Trees and Shrubs drawn 

 up at Kew, where a page often begins, without any heading what- 

 ever, in the middle of the synonymy of a species ! 



The question of headings to pages is closely allied to that of 

 indexing, and shows a like variety. In periodicals the plan of 

 giving the name of the magazine on the left-hand page, and that 

 of the article on the right, is undoubtedly the best ; but the number 



