484 ICONES ORCHIDEARUM AUSTRO-AFRICANUM EXTRA-TROPICARUM. 



additional entry as to the number and distribution of species in 

 each. M. Durand has more than once shown his special fitness for 

 work of this kind, and his association with M. Autran, the courteous 

 curator of the Boissier Herbarium, has doubtless contributed 

 materially to the value of the catalogue. This is the more apparent 

 when we learn that the references have not been taken, as is too 

 often the case, at secondhand; the compilers have, in every instance, 

 themselves consulted the works referred to. It appears, however, 

 from M. Crepin's interesting preface, that it is to Boissier's son- 

 in-law, M. Barbey, the present owner of the collections, that we are 

 indebted for the suggestion which has resulted in the present 

 enumeration, which represents the species actually cultivated in the 

 Gardens in 1885, the year of Boissier's death. The number of 

 species in the Gardens exceeds five thousand. 



Such a work does not lend itself to detailed review, but it may 

 be well to call attention to the fact that it contains certain combi- 

 nations — rendered necessary by the reduction or changed limita- 

 tions of genera — which are here published for the first time, and 

 must date from this publication. Such new names are carefully 

 indicated thus : — " Lathyrus Boissieri Nob. — Orobus grandiflorus 

 Boissier Fl. Or. ii (1873) 622." An excellent portrait of Boissier 

 forms an appropriate frontispiece to the volume. 



Icones Orchidearum Austro- Africanarum extra-tropicarum ; or, Figures, 

 ivith Descriptions, of extra-tropical South African Orchids. By 

 Harry Bolus, F.L.S. Vol. I., Part II. London : Wesley. 

 Aug. 20th, 1896. Price £1 Is. net. 8vo. 



The field-botanists, students, and lovers of nature in South 

 Africa, whom Mr. Bolus is especially anxious to serve, as well as 

 all workers at orchids, will welcome the issue of the second part 

 of this valuable book. The author, who is also the artist, and 

 frequently too the collector or discoverer of the plants he describes 

 and figures, is to be envied for the exceptional opportunities he 

 has of studying living specimens of so interesting but difficult a 

 group of plants, often in their native habitats. Cape orchids in 

 particular are to be desired in a fresh condition, or at least preserved 

 in some fluid in which they retain at any rate their natui-al form. 

 In genera like Disperis and others of the sub-tribe ConjceiB so much 

 depends on the shape of the generally highly complicated column, 

 which it is impossible to restore to its natural shape when once the 

 flower has been dried. Our thanks are due to Mr. Bolus for 

 recording in so complete and attractive a manner the results of his 

 work on the species of the Cape peninsula. It is with feelings of 

 relief and pleasure that we refer to his book after, for instance, 

 racking our brains over some miserably inadequate description by 

 Keichenbach. We can quite sympathize with Mr. Bolus in his 

 unsatisfactory attempt to fit a plant to Disperis stenoplcctron Rchb. f . 

 "It is impossible," he says, "to know certainly whether this is 

 Reichenbach's plant," &c., with the usual animadversions on the 

 conduct of the eccentric professor. 



