SHORT NO IKS 



815 



would be small, and that the initial outlay for building cabinets, 

 &c., would be heavy. The alleged inconvenience Reems to me to 

 be exaggerated, and affects only a few of those engaged in syste- 

 matic botany, who are thus obliged to consult two herbaria instead 

 of one ; while on the other hand, to those engaged in other depart- 

 ments of botany, the existence of the two herbaria is an advantage. 

 I deprecate the proposals contained in the majority Report for 

 the following reasons : — 



1. The British Museum is the greatest museum in the world, 

 and is justly the pride of the nation. To dismember it, by de- 

 priving it of so integral a part as the Botanical Department would 

 be destructive of its unique character as a fully representative 

 museum, and specially of a natural history museum ; would be 

 vehemently opposed by many, if not most, British botanists, and 

 as it seems to me, would be a great injury to science. 



2. To London and country botanists the British Museum is 

 much more accessible than Kew. 



3. The plan proposed would separate the fossil, from the 

 recent, plants. 



4. It would involve the creation of a new Board. 



If, on the other hand, Kew Gardens and the British Museum 

 were brought into closer relations, as recommended in the Report 

 which I have signed in conjunction with Mr. Seymour, several 

 advantages would result ; for instance, the officers of the Museum 

 would have access to the living plants ; while those of Kew Gardens 

 would have access to the British Museum library and the collection 

 of fossil plants. 



SHORT NOTES. 



LiMONiuM HUMiLE Mill. — lu Joum. Linn. Soc. xxxv. 77, Mr. 

 Druce follows Dr. Otto Kuntze in adopting Lihionima rarijiorum. as 

 the name of the plant which stands in the last edition of the Loivlon 

 Catahxjxie as Statice lari/lom Drej. There can, however, be no doubt 

 that the proper name for this under Limonium is L. hunile Mill. 

 Diet. no. 4 (1768). Miller's description is based entirely on the 

 English plant— he does not record the species from any extra- 

 English locality— described by Ray (Hist. Plant, iii. 247) under the 

 name "Limonium Anglicum minus, caulis ramosioribus, iloribus 

 in apicis rarius sitis." This was sent to Ray by Dale from the well- 

 known Essex localities whence specimens collected by him are in 

 the National Herbarium. Dr. Kuntze considers Miller's name as 

 ^^= St. bdlidifolia Gouan = St. caspia W."; but I think he is in 

 error in so doing, nor am I sure that the two plants last named are 

 identical. This, however, as well as the name to be applied under 

 Liinunium to either or both, is a matter for future monographers. — 

 James Britten. 



.JuNGERMANiA sAxicoLA Schrad. (p. 279).— I can add two localities 

 for this hepatic on the mainland of Scotland to the one from Ben 

 Mac Dhuirgiven by Mr. Stabler. Among rocks at the waterfall, 

 Carn Dearg, Aviemore, alt. 1200 ft., with Chandonanthus setiformis, 



