NOTICES OF BOOKS. 25 



plant in autumn, Dr. Bromfield states, under his account of Arum 

 viaciddtuni, in the Isle of Wight, " I have even remarked them 

 springing up at the close of autumn at Bonchurch" ('Flora 

 Vectensis,' p. 527, footnote) ; and on the 28th Sept., 1874, I added 

 the following note : — " This was, no doubt, A. italicwn, which has 

 been showing in my garden for some days." In 1872, the earliest 

 date noted was 29th Sept., 1872; in 1871, the 4fch Oct. The 

 bright red fruit of A. italicum often remains a conspicuous object in 

 my garden far into the winter, and contrasts well with the dark 

 green leaves. Arum maculatum does grow at Steephill, but I have 

 never seen any plants which at all suggested the idea of their being 

 hybrids between A. maciilatam smd A. italicum. In Mr. Hambrough's 

 account in the ' Phytologist,' to which I have referred, there is a 

 curious misprint in his description of the fruit, the word " buds " 

 being twice given instead of " seeds." — Frederic Stratton. 



PoTAMOGETON PERFOLiATus L., var. EicHARDsoxXii. — When lately 

 contrasting the North American forms of this species with the 

 European, I found that Dr. Eobbins' "var. hmceolatus,'' Gray's 

 • Manual N. U. States,' 1868, is pre-occupied by the "var. lanceo- 

 latus,'" of Blytt, in Norge's 'Flora,' 1861. I propose to name Dr. 

 Bobbins' plant " var. Fuchardsonii,'' after the Arctic explorer. Dr. 

 Eichardson, who seems to have been the first to point out the 

 difference from the European forms in the ' Appendix' (Botany) to 

 Franklin's Expedition.' Gay, in his herbarium at Kew, names 

 specimens as "var. lanceolatus,'' but I cannot find that he 

 published the name ; if so, it would antedate both Blytt's and 

 Bobbins', dating as it does from 1813. In 1887, Le Grand published 

 a "var. lanceolatus,'' in PI. Nouv. Dep. Cher. Bourges. p. 17 ; but this 

 name, of course, is inadmissible, and I have not seen specimens. 

 In 1881, I referred specimens gathered by Mr. Brotherston, in Scot- 

 land, to Bobbins' var. ; but since that time I have seen a very fine 

 series of the American plant, and it certainly is not it, but comes 

 near to Blytt's, along with which specimens from W. Sutherland 

 (Mr. F. Miller) may be placed. Of Gay's plant I have seen 

 specimens from Prussia (E. Straker) ; Saxony (Prof. Willkomm) ; 

 and Landsberg, Bavaria (^Herb. Shuttleworth ex herb. Mus. Brit.). — 

 Arthur Bennett. 



NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



Les Plantes Fossiles. Par B. Eenault. Paris, Bailliere : Svo, pp. 



400 ; 53 cuts. Price 3 fr. 50 c. 

 Oritjine PaUontologique des Arhres. Par Le Marquis G. de Saporta. 



Paris, Bailliere : Svo, pp. 360, 44 cuts. Price 3 fr. 50 c. 



These two volumes are among the latest additions to the 

 scientific library published by the enterprising firm of Bailliere and 

 Sons. The authors of the volumes are men who have dis- 

 tinguished themselves by their researches in fossil botany ; 

 Eenault by his labours among the plant remains of the pal£eozoic 

 rocks, and De Saporta among those of the secondary and nure 



