BOOK-XOTES, XEWS, ETC. 143 



A RECEXT addition to the innumerable books dealing in a popular 

 manner with our native flora is British Wild Flowers, their Haunts 

 and Associations, by William Graveson (Headley Brothers, 7s. %d. 

 net). It is a favourable specimen of its class : looking it through, 

 we note no serious errors, such faults as there are being of omission 

 rather than of commission — we sometimes desiderate more informa- 

 tion about individual species. Its main plan is to describe a series 

 of rambles arranged according to the seasons of the year : Mr. Grave- 

 son has a very pleasing style, well calculated to interest the reader, 

 and is evidently a keen observer : books of this kind are so often 

 mere compilations that it is refreshing to come across one which 

 represents first-hand knowledge. The plants are referred to almost 

 entirely by their English names, unfortunately without their Latin 

 equivalents which however may be found in the monthly floral 

 calendar, wherein much information is given, but oddly enough, 

 no reference to the pages wherein the plants are described. There are 

 numerous verj^ pretty and accurate, if somewhat feeble, illustrations, 

 some of them coloured, by Mr. J. Wood of the Hertford School of 

 Art, and some of the best re]Droductions from photographs we have ever 

 seen by Mr. A. V. Elsden of the same place, whence the author also 

 hails. One f unnv mistake runs through the book : the little volume 

 on The Folk-lore of Plants by the Eev. T. F. Dyer is attributed to 

 " Sir T. F. Thiselton Dyer " — evidently through some confusion with 

 the late Director of Kew Gardens, who will hardly feel flattered by 

 being associated Avith a by no means excellent compilation. 



The memoir of Daniel Oliver published in our last issue should 

 have contained some reference to the complete bibliography which 

 appears in the Kew Bulletin, 1917, no. 1, pp. 32-36. 



TO OUR READERS. 



Ix" our issue for December last we called attention to the serious 

 financial crisis which the Journal was undergoing, and expressed 

 a doubt whether, in face of financial loss, it would be possible to 

 continue its publication. The reluctance to abandon an undertaking 

 which had been carried on without interruption for thirty-eight years 

 induced us however to continue the issue for at least another year, in 

 spite of our expressed foreboding that there would be an obvious deficit 

 on the 1916 volume. That foreboding was, unfortunately, more than 

 realized ; when the account from the printers was sent in, towards the 

 end of February, it showed a balance on the wrong side of nearly 

 £50. It was then too late to consider discontinuance, and we 

 ventured, with some hesitation, to place the matter before the friends 

 who, as stated in the December issue, had defrayed the comparatively 

 small deficit on the volume for 1915. 



Their generous response, the more gratifying on account of the 

 kind words with which it was accompanied, relieved us to a great 

 extent from the anxiety which we naturally felt. But their kindness 

 did not stop here : a cn-cular was drawn up, signed by five of them, 

 addressed to those who, it was thought, might be willing to co-operate 

 in supporting the Journal ; and the response was such as to remove 

 tha deficit entirely and to leave a balance towards carrying on the 



