133 



BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, dc. 



We learn with very great pleasure that the Eev. E. S. Marshall 

 has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the Botanical Society of 

 Edinburgh, " in recognition of his great services to British 

 Botany." How great these services have been none know better 

 than the I'eaders of this Journal, to which Mr. Marshall has been a 

 valued and constant contributor for more than twenty-five years, 

 and we are sure that not only they, but the many others who 

 have benefited by Mr. Marshall's knowledge, always placed freely 

 at the disposal of fellow-workers, will join us in congratulating 

 him in the distinction — for the number of British Honorary 

 Fellows is limited to six — which has been conferred on him. 

 "When it is remembered that Mr. Marshall during all these 

 years has been engaged in active clerical work, some notion may 

 be formed of the energy and perseverance which are salient 

 features of his character. We hope it may be long before it is 

 necessary to give some account of his botanical work ; those who are 

 fortunate enough to possess plants from his herbarium know that 

 in addition to his critical and local knowledge Mr. Marshall is 

 conspicuous among British botanists for the admirable care with 

 which his specimens are selected and dried. Ad multos annos ! 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society on January 19th, Mr. 

 C. H. Wright read a paper on the Flora of the Falkland Islands, 

 based upon a collection made by Mrs. Eleanor Vallentin — whose 

 father (Mr. W. Wickham Bertrand) was one of the earliest settlers 

 in the West Falklands — but expanded to enumerate all the plants 

 recorded from the Falklands. An endeavour has been made to 

 define the distribution of plants in the islands and to show what 

 changes have taken place in the flora since the publication of the 

 Flora Antarctica in 1847. The plants are chiefly of dwarf habit, 

 often with aromatic leaves, and conspicuous, often scented, flowers, 

 which are produced chiefly between November and January. The 

 earliest to appear is Draha funiculosa Hook, f., in September. 

 The extermination of the fox [Canis antarcticus) has rendered 

 possible the keeping of sheep, with the result that plants previ- 

 ously common have now become rare ; amongst these are the 

 Tussac Grass [Poa flahellata Hook, f.). Cinnamon Grass {Hiero- 

 chloe redolejis R. Br.), and Blue Grass (Agrojjyron rejyens Beauv.). 

 Primula farinosa var. magellanica Hook, f., while still abundant, 

 is much dwarfed in those islets where sheep have been introduced. 

 Veronica elliptica Forst. f. attains a height of 7 feet, and is the 

 tallest plant on the islands, the next being Chiliotrichum amelloi- 

 deum Cass, (the Fachima plant). Azorella ccBSpitosa Cav. (tlie 

 Balsam-bog) forms hard masses up to 10 ft. long and 4 ft. higli, 

 which rapidly decay on being wounded. The flora shows a great 

 affinity with that of Magellan and Chile. 



At the meeting of the same Society on February 2nd, Dr. 

 Jackson showed a series of lantern-slides, explaining the genesis 

 of the portrait of Carl von Linn6, painted by Alexander Roslin, 



