BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 151 



statements concerning an increase in the number of carpels of the 

 flowers and fruits of the Sycamore : — " An increase in the number 

 of carpels in the flower is very frequent ; three, four, five, and 

 even eight carpels have been seen in one flower. The accessory 

 carpels are often inserted somewhat higher than the normal ones, 

 so that (in four-winged fruits) the pistil appears to be made up of 

 two decussate pairs of carpels." 



At the same meeting a paper by Mr. W. B. Hemsley was read 

 in abstract by the Botanical Secretary, on the genera Badamcea 

 Benth. and Nesogenes A. DC. Badamcea montana is a shrub from 

 Madagascar, and some imperfect specimens of a similar plant 

 were referred to his B. prostrata. On comparing these specimens 

 with some collected on the ' Sealark ' Expedition by Prof. J. 

 Stanley Gardiner and Mr. J. C. F. Fryer, Mr. Hemsley found it 

 had to be transferred to its proper genus, Nesogenes. Four 

 species of the latter genus are now known, including a new one 

 from Aldabra named N. Dupontii Hemsl., after the discoverer. 

 The present known distribution of Nesogenes is peculiar, being 

 limited to two distant areas in the southern tropic ; one in the 

 Pacific Ocean with a mean longitude of 145° W., the other in the 

 Indian Ocean with a mean longitude of 60° E. The plants are, 

 however, inconspicuous, and may readily be passed by without 

 notice. 



The Council of the Linnean Society have had under considera- 

 tion the application of the bequest of £100 left to the Society by 

 the late Sir Joseph Hooker. They feel that the Fellows of the 

 Society would not desire this legacy to be applied to the ordinary 

 purposes of the Society, but that they would wish it to be used for 

 some memorial of the illustrious donor in connection with the 

 Society. Such a memorial would be peculiarly appropriate, since 

 the late Sir Joseph Hooker was for nearly seventy years one of the 

 strongest supporters of the Society, taking the keenest interest in 

 its work. The Council have agreed that the most suitable 

 memorial would be an adequately endowed Sir Joseph Hooker 

 Lecture, to be delivered every second, third, or fourth year, and to 

 be published by the Society. They propose that the Lecture be 

 on some subject especially associated with the name of Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, and that the Lecturer be appointed by the Council, not 

 necessarily from among the Fellows of the Society. They suggest 

 that the generous bequest of £100 should form the nucleus of a 

 Fund to be raised for the purpose of carrying this proposal into 

 effect. The Council are gratified to know that their proposal 

 meets with the warm approval of Lady Hooker. The Council 

 consider that a total sum of not less than £600 should be obtained, 

 and confidently appeal to the Fellows of the Linnean Society and 

 others to contribute. 



Messrs. Dent have added to their shilling series of " Temple 

 Primers " an excellent treatise on Plant Geography by Mr. Boulder. 

 In the limited space at his command, he has given us an ex- 

 ceedingly complete and accurate survey of the subject, showing a 



