284 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



for 1917 (p. 88). Besides these and numerous articles in this and 

 other botanical journals, etc., on Algse from all parts of the world — 

 the series of '' Algological Notes," begun in this Jo.urnal for 1911 and 

 continued at intervals, mav be mentioned— West was contemplating 

 the prej-taration of a new work on British Freshwater Algai (excluding 

 ])iatoms and Desmids), in which he intended to describe and figure 

 every known species : the value of such a volume can be appreciated 

 by all who are acquainted with his skill and accuracy in drawing, and 

 it is hoped that some part of it may be in a condition fit for publi- 

 cation. The whole of his di-a wings of Algae are bequeathed to the 

 British Museum ; his algological library and specimens are left to the 

 University of Birmingham. 



There still remains to be mentioned his projected Algal Flora of 

 the Midlands ; of this only a comparatively few preliminary lists are 

 prepared, but it is hoped to publish these shortly. It is scarcely 

 possible to imagine, apart from calcareous districts, a more unpromising 

 area in this country for algse than that round Birmingham, yet West 

 and his zealous helpers showed that even this could yield riches, 

 inchiding such a rarit}^ as a new Boya in conjugation, probably the 

 first that has ever been found in Britain in that condition. He 

 proved again that, when a competent botanist settles down in a new 

 Lcality, it begins at once to yield a previously unsusj^ected wealth of 

 material. 



West died at Edgbaston on August 7th after a brief ilhiess. The 

 cause was a seve]-e attack of double pneumonia, aggravated b}^ the 

 weakness due to his indifferent health during the last few years, for 

 he never recovered completely from the influenza trouble of four 

 years ago. He leaves a widow and two young sons, and his premature 

 decease at the early age of forty-three deprives British natural science 

 of one of its most promising adherents. The loss of his kindly 

 encouragement and help to the eager band which he had gathered 

 round him leaves a gap which will be difiicult to fill. 



W. B. G. 



SHOKT NOTES. 



YACCTNirM INTERMEDIUM Ruthc (p. 259). One locality for this 

 plant in Caithness is a gorge of the Achorn Burn, a tributary of the 

 Dunbeath Water on the east coast: this is locally a deep shadj^ chasm 

 in the rocks, but the higher parts of the walls are exposed to sunlight "' 

 (C. B. Crampton, Vegefafion of Cff/fJmess etc., p. 94: 1911). One 

 plant only was found, with the parents and Arctostaphylos Vva-iirsi. 

 Here there can hardly have been human interference. The other 

 locality, whence I have a specimen collected by Mr. Sutherland, is 

 Scarmclett Braes near Watten near a large lake ; the only evidence 

 of human interference in the neighbourhood is the existence of two 

 ■**picts' houses." The North Lancashire locality (Coniston Old Man, 

 2000 ft.), communicated to me by Mr. Pearsall (whose son, in 

 company with Mr. Adamson, found it there in 1914), and the Stafford- 

 shire habitat, Norton Bog, 1898 (Bagnall, Fl. Staff, p. 40), seem 

 equally I'emote from human influence. Mr. Garner informed me that 



