NOTICES 0¥ BOOKS. 347 



the entire portion of the sepal was short, so that the whole was den- 

 tate instead of triangular or oblong-triangular." — JohnT. Boswell, 

 June, 1875. 



Rumex consperstis, Hartm. " Cowdenbeath, Fife, and Invertiel, 

 Fife, 1873 and 1874. This plant appears widely spread wherever 

 H. ohtusifolius and R. domesticus grow in company. If, however, it be a 

 hybrid it is a perfectly fertile one, and like pratensis comes true from 

 seed." — J. T. Boswell. 



Rumex crispus, L., var. suhcordatiis^ Warren. '' Teffont, Wilts, 

 October, 1872. Also seen at Lewes, Sussex, July, 1872. I have ven- 

 tured for sake of reference to name this odd plant so provisionally. It 

 differs fi'om ordinary crisyus by its great size (five or six feet) and by 

 the shape of its enlarged sepals, most of which are more or less toothed. 

 It approaches the R. propinquiis of Prof. Areschoug's paper, but is 

 not that plant according to the Professor himself, to whom I for- 

 warded a specimen." — J. L. Waeren". *' Of this form of R. crispus 

 I have sent specimens from various places in Fife and Kinross, under 

 the name of R. crispus, var. dentatus, AYarren. In a letter received 

 a few days ago from that gentleman he proposes to apply to the variety 

 the name suhcordatus instead of ' dentatus ' or ' serratus,' and, as will be 

 seen, the new name is more appropriate than either of the older ones, 

 which I believe have not been published. This variety has rather a lax 

 panicle, having the branches frequently elongate, andnotadpressed, by 

 which it may be always distinguished from R. domesticus. The enlarged 

 petals are larger and broader than in the common form, being deltoid 

 or subrotund-deltoid, very frequently denticulate or at least erose 

 towards the base ; only one of the three bears a tubercle, which is 

 variable in size and shape. The denticulation at the base of the 

 petals is not a constant character, though their form appears to be 

 hereditary. From the seeds of a plant of this variety found at Bal- 

 muto, which had the petals quite entire, I raised plants which had 

 them conspicuously dentate at the base, though still maintaining 

 their subrotund-deltoid shape." — J. T. Boswell, June, 1875. 

 {To he continued.) 



I^Dticc^ of 23oofe^* 



Charles deV Escluse, sa Yie et ses (Euvres. 1526-1609. Par M. Edouaed 

 MoRBEN,Professeur a rUniversite de Liege. Liege, 1875, (pp. 59). 

 We have read this little work with much pleasure, the author 

 having taken considerable pains, by searching through original records, 

 to correct many erroneous statements which have been long current. 

 The registers of the various universities with which TEscluse was 

 connected, and the Court accounts of Maximilian II. and Podolph II., 

 Emperors of Austria, have been ransacked lor correct dates and other 

 information. He enlists the sympathy of the reader on account of the 

 unceasing misfortunes which attended his hero, from an early age to 

 his death, his illnesses, accidents, religious persecution the confisca- 

 tion of his patrimony, and absolute penury, until the University of 

 Leyden did itself lasting honour, by calling him to fill a professorial 

 chair within its walls, thus affording a secure haven from many of the 

 ills which threatened the old age of Charles de I'Escluse. For sixteen 



