BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 263 



action on the plant-cell. With regard to the " physiological " 

 theory, various causes are assigned as originating the disturbance ; 

 artificial injuries, soil-conditions, &c. — " some abnormal conditions 

 resulting in a localized over-production of enzymes." Melchers, 

 from his own study and observation of mosaic disease, favours the 

 view that it is due to enzymes, and is often induced by over- 

 forcing. — A. L. S. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society on June 19 Mr. 

 Edmund G. Baker gave an abstract of his paper on the African 

 species of Crotalaria, 309 in number, illustrating the sections by 

 lantern-slides. " A Eevision of the Genus Symphytum" by Mr. 

 Cedric Bucknall, was laid before the Society in abstract. It gives 

 a sketch of the history and geographical distribution of the genus, 

 followed by an account of the characters of the species, of former 

 systems of classification, together with the classification now 

 proposed, an analytical key and detailed descriptions of the 

 species. Two new species are described. Dr. C. E. Moss re- 

 ferred to the recent discoveries in Britain of varieties of certain 

 plants, instancing three varieties of Populus nigra and as many 

 of Alnus glutinosa, Ranunculus ficariceformis, Primula scotica, 

 var., Lycium barbarum confused with L. chinense, both of which 

 occur, and Gymnadenia Wahlenbergii and G. densiflora, both 

 figured by Eeichenbach. 



We have received the prospectus and specimen plates and 

 pages of what will evidently be a sumptuous work on British 

 Flowering Plants. It will form three volumes in royal quarto, 

 bound in buckram, and will be printed on specially prepared 

 paper : the illustrations are from drawings in water-colour by 

 Mrs. Henry Perrin, and the text is supplied by Professor Boulger : 

 the price for the complete work will be twelve guineas and only a 

 thousand copies will be printed. Judging from the specimens 

 sent us, the plates are quite good, though the arrangement of the 

 Euonymus is not pleasing, and we do not know why the root of 

 Vicia Cracca is given, as it does not show the tubercles referred 

 to in the text and is not in itself attractive : there are no dis- 

 sections. The text is of course accurate, and fuller than is usual 

 in books of the kind. We confess, however, that we do not see a 

 public for the work, which is not sufficiently complete for the 

 botanist — only about 285 species will be figured and grasses, 

 sedges and the like are excluded — or even for the advanced 

 amateur, while the price is prohibitive for all but the wealthy, for 

 whose drawing-room tables it will form an attractive ornament. 



The recent part (vol. xxvi. pt. 1) of the Transactions and Pro- 

 ceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh consists mainly of 

 papers that had already appeared in the short-lived Scottish 

 Botanical Preview, which was described on its title-page as "includ- 

 ing the Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh." 

 The desirability of uniformity renders such a reissue intelligible ; 

 but from a bibliographical point of view it is surprising and indeed 

 regrettable that no indication is anywhere given that the papers 



