170 THOMAS HUGHES BUFFHAM. 



index, of species; the Annals of Botany, however, remains in- 

 corrigible ; probably no periodical of equal importance is so pre- 

 posterously indexed (see Journ. Bot. 1894, 272) — it is simply 

 impossible to discover what subjects have been treated unless one 

 reads through the whole, or happens to know the author's name. 

 It can hardly be that the illustrious editors think it improbable that 

 any one will ever want to consult the Annuls, but, unless they had 

 entirely omitted any pretence at an index, they could not have 

 made its contents more inaccessible. The Bulletin of the Torrey 

 Club gives a "general index" and a "generic index"; in the 

 former such useless catch-words as " on," " two," and " genus " are 

 entered; in the latter every mention of a genus is sedulously 

 recorded, but nowhere are the new species indexed. The authors' 

 names appear under " Contributors " in the general index. 



James Britten. 



THOMAS HUGHES BUFFHAM. 



Thomas Hughes Buffham was born on the 24th of December, 

 1840, at Long Sutton, in Lincolnshire, and was educated at a 

 private school there. After leaving school he took a situation 

 as clerk m an office at Earith, Hunts, and here he made the 

 acquaintance of an elderly gentleman named Wheatley, from whom 

 he acquired a taste for astronomy. Having purchased a telescope, 

 Mr. Buffham now devoted much of his leisure to the study of the 

 stars, making several interesting observations, which have been 

 recorded in the Astronomical Notices, Enylish Mechanic, and else- 

 where. 



About twenty-six years ago Mr. Buffham removed to London, 

 and entered the office of Messrs. Warren & Co., of New Broad 

 Street, where he soon rose to be chief clerk, and ultimately London 

 agent of the firm. Finding that his health was impaired by the 

 late hours and constant work demanded by the study of astronomy, 

 he was reluctantly compelled to abandon the subject. 



About this time he made the acquaintance of Mr. W. H. Gilburt, 

 a gentleman much interested in microscopical work, who inspired 

 Mr. Buffham with a love for the microscope equal to that he had 

 formerly had for the telescope. In August, 1881, the two friends 

 and their families were staying at Teignmouth, South Devon, and 

 there they collected material of all sorts for examination with the 

 microscope. Amongst the seaweeds gathered by Mr. Buffham on 

 this occasion was a specimen of Caltithavinion tetricum with 

 antheridia. On searching the i'kycoluyia Britannica for a de- 

 scription of these organs, Mr. Bufl'ham was astonished to find that 

 only very few of the antheridia of the Fioridecc are mentioned by 

 Harvey, and he at once determined, if possible, to supply this want 

 in our standard work on British Seaweeds. Aided by the advice of 

 Mr. E. M. Holmes and others, he set to work most industriously. 

 For many years he spent most of his holidays in collecting and 

 studying the marine algae, and even learned Latin, French, and 



