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BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, etc. 



The Foreign Office has issued a Report on the Botanical Aspects 

 of British Central Africa by Mr. Alexander Whyte, which, however, 

 is confined to the economic side of the subject. " The publication 

 was retarded owing to its needing careful revision at Kew Gardens." 

 Widdrinfitonia Whi/tei, the " Mlanje cedar," is becoming of consider- 

 able commercial importance ; this, it will be remembered, was 

 described by Mr. Rendle in the paper on Mr. Whyte's Mlanje 

 collection in the Linnean Transactions. It is hardly accurate, by 

 the way, to say that that collection was " worked out by Mr. Car- 

 ruthers," although the prefatory note was communicated by him. 



We have just received the Report of the Belfast Naturalists' 

 Field Club for 1894-95, which contains an important supplement, 

 extending over a hundred pages, to the Flora of North-East Ireland, 

 compiled by Messrs. S. A. Stewart & R. Lloyd Praeger. Numerous 

 additions are made both to the flowering plants and cryptogams ; 

 with regard to the latter further amplification may be expected 

 when Templeton's MS. "Flora Hibernica" has been carefully gone 

 through. This Supplement is thoughtfully printed uniformly with 

 the Flora, which makes it very convenient for reference. We are 

 sorry, however, to see Robert Brown's localities for Erodium 

 moschatmn called in question. The authors say it has not been 

 found in either station by any recent observer, which is not re- 

 markable in the case of a plant so uncertain in appearance, and 

 add "it seems probable" that Brown mistook E. cicutarium for it. 

 Apart from the improbability of a botanist of Brown's stamp 

 making such a blunder, his full description in the MS. volume 

 whence the localities are derived renders such a view untenable. 



At a meeting of the Royal Botanic Society on Feb. 27th, a 

 paper was read by Mr. W. C. Martindale "On the Desirability of 

 establishing an Institute for the Teaching of Botany in the Royal 

 Botanic Gardens," which has since been issued in pamphlet form. 

 " The opportunity afforded by a renewal of the lease of the Gardens" 

 has suggested the desirability of further educational work on the 

 part of the Society ; and Mr. Martindale's proposal was supported 

 by Dr. Scott, Prof. Frank Oliver, and others. Apart from the setting 

 aside any portion of a public park for the benefit of a special class 

 of the community, which we cannot regard as desirable, there is 

 much to be said in favour of the continued existence of the Society's 

 Gardens, which have rendered important help to the London teachers 

 of botany. 



The Rev. Robert Hunter, M.A., LL.D., died on Feb. 25th at 

 his residence, Forest Retreat, Epping Forest, in his seventy-fourth 

 year. He graduated in Arts in Aberdeen University, and then 

 studied theology at the New College, Edinburgh, On completing 

 his studies he went as a missionary of the Free Church of Scotland 



