290 THE JOUEXAL OF EOTAJTT 



head of its pages nothing but the number, and the Journal of the 

 Keic Guild follows this example. Even worse is the issuing without 

 lettering (save for the number) of the plates of the Botanical Maga- 

 zine and the Icones Plantaruni, which bear neither the name of the 

 plant figured nor any indication of the periodical in which they appeared, 

 nor the date of their appearance. The accompanying letterpress is 

 in the former particular equally deficient, and although in Bot. Mag. 

 the date is supplied, it is absent from the Icones. In the latter case the 

 omission is especially unintelligible, as under the editorship of J. D. 

 Hooker (1S67-S9) aiid D. Oliver (1890-98) the plates were lettered; 

 the omission of this useful detail, to which I at the time called atten- 

 tion, began with Sir W. Thiselton-Dyer's editorship and continues to 

 the present. The inconvenience of the method, especially for those 

 who make collections of botanical plates, is obvious ; in such cases 

 each plate has to be written up with name and reference, and, if 

 encountered apart from its wrapper or letterpress, its som'ce is not easy 

 to identify. 



It may be noted that in (3) the author and subject are when space 

 allows indicated on both pages— the titles of the papers are given 

 at length ; in (4) the surname of the author only is given ; in (8) the 

 authors name (in capitals) appears on the left-hand page, the suljject 

 (in italics) on the right; in (10) and (19) the author and subject 

 run across both pages, the former being prefixed b}^ " Mr." or the 

 like. In (16) the date of the 3^ears to which the Proceedings relate 

 should ceiiainly be placed at the head of the pages — ever}' one who has 

 had occasion to refer frequently to bound-up volumes must have felt 

 the great inconvenience of this omission : (17) shares with the Kew 

 j)ublications which are discussed above the unenviable distinction of 

 giving no information in its headings, so that Ave have from the 

 States the worst as well as the best examples : (18) gives at the head 

 of its pages the number of the session and the ^^ear to which the 

 matter beneath relates. 



Placing the four points indicated in the order of their importance, 

 it would seem that in headings the indication of subject stands first 

 and that of date last: this can usually, without inconvenience, be 

 gathered from the wrapper. The name of the periodical is important 

 in the case of " separates," the distribution of which is fairly general, 

 sometimes in plain wrappers which give no definite indication of their 

 provenance. In connection Avith reprints, one is glad to notice that 

 the practice of repaging these is becoming less frequent. 



It has always seemed to me that Avhen a ]mge contains the con- 

 clusion of one article and the beginning of another the heading should 

 relate to the former — /. e. to that Avhich comes immediately below it : 

 this arrangement, though adopted in this Journal, is not, I think, in 

 accordance with general practice. 



It may be noted here that the very worst examj)le of unsatis- 

 factory arrangement Avith Avhich I am acquainted is that furnished by 

 the ' Jiegister ' to the volumes of Das PJlanzenreich. The name of 

 the genus — Avhich in almost eveiy index, Avhether of monograph or 

 liora, is placed at the heading of each column — is here always omitted, 

 so that it is necessary to find the first (and only) entry of the genus 



