Book-notes, news, etc. 159 



Spruce's South -American ferns. The lists of detenninations in the 

 ' Notes ' are arranged geographically, and though often fragmentary 

 are likely to be of considerable help to the working student, but their 

 value woiald be much enhanced by the addition of a specific index 

 to each fascicle, and by headings to the pages. Presumably it is 

 intended eventuall}" to publish a general index to all the fascicles ; 

 but meanwhile the lack of it is a great inconvenience. A number of 

 new species and varieties are described, and a new genus is republished ; 

 without an index these are liable to be overlooked. — A. G. 



The Proceedings of tlte Liverpool botanical Society for 1912- 

 1915, published in November last, shows a gratifying amount of 

 activity in excursions and indoor meetings, of both of which accounts 

 are included. A summaiy is given of the progress made in the in- 

 vestigation of the South Lancashire Flora. 



The Journal of the Linnean Society (xliv. no. 295, dated 

 Nov. 27, 1917) contains a "Quantitative Description of the British 

 Species of Mnium " by Prof. Julius MacLeod, of the University of 

 Ghent, and a paper on " The Heterangiums of the British Coal 

 Measures," by Dr. D. H. Scott, of which a summary will be found 

 in this Journal for 1917, p. 164. 



The Council of the Essex Field Club appeals for help towards a 

 fund for providing a pension for Mr. William Cole. The Club was 

 founded through Mr. Cole's efforts in 1880, and he has acted ever 

 since (that is, for thirty seven years) as its principal Honoi-ary 

 Secretary, as Editor of its publications, and as Curator of its two 

 Museums. He now finds himself, at the age of seventy-two, in 

 straitened circumstances, suffering from grave physical infirmities, 

 and compelled to resign the Curatorship, which afforded the sole 

 income on which he, and others dependent on him, subsisted. Con- 

 tributions should be addressed to the Hon. Treasurer of the Club, 

 Mr. John Avry, 52 Coleman Street, E.C. 2. 



We have received the following notice : — " A la suite du deces de 

 Madame C. Barbey-Boissier, ses six enfants ont Thonneur d'informer 

 MM. les correspondants de I'Herbier Boissier qu'ils reraettent les 

 collections botaniques et la bibliotheque de cet Herbier en donation a 

 rUniversite de Geneve, lis ont pris leurs dispositions pour que tons 

 ces documents demeurent accessibles aux savants suisses et etrangei's, 

 M. Gustave Beauverd, Conservateur de FHerbier Boissier, efcmt 

 attache a cet effet des le l*"" Avril 1918 au Laboratoire de Botanique 

 de rUniversite de Geneve." 



The Kew Bulletin issued last month (1918, nos. 2 & 3) is 

 mainly occupied by an important and exhaustive monograph of the 

 genus Chrozophora, by Sir David Prain. The paper is divided into 

 various sections, dealing respectively with the history of the genus — 

 an admirable example of litei-ary and historical reseai-eh ; the 

 characters of the genus ; the history of the species under Croton 

 (from which it was separated by Necker in 1790) ; the history of the 



