38 BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 



the characters are to be chosen, does not agree with nature." 

 Characters, constant in one genus, are very variable in others. 

 " Kecent bryologists have attached too great an importance to the 

 organisation of the peristome." Hence the author has not pinned his 

 faith too firmly to peristome-characters, but has endeavoured without 

 bias to found his definitions upon the most constant characters 

 afforded by each genus. In this way he has been enabled to burden 

 or enrich bryology with twelve new genera. His generic system is 

 an extension of that initiated by Bruch and Schimper in their 

 Bryologia FAiropcca. 



The second part of the work "is an essay to revise and compare 

 all hitherto Imown species and subspecies of Bryineae, found in 

 Europe and N. America." "I believe that the greatest importance 

 is to attache to the natural affinity of such species as could be 

 joined to common types (subgenera or groups)." The meaning of 

 this is obscure. Possibly "attache" is intended to be a passive 

 infinitive. "It needs .... to select characters, peculiar and 

 constant to each genus." "I have not described selected specimens 

 in all their parts but generally omitted such characters, as evidently 

 are too variable." "To facilitate the determination of sterile speci- 

 mens .... I have accurately described the areolation of the 

 leaves and the common habit of the vegetals. My descriptions are 

 not transscribed from other authors but based on my own micro- 

 scopical researches and studies in nature." Working upon these 

 lines Prof. Kiudberg appears to have performed his task carefully 

 and conscientiously. The English of his descriptions at least is 

 clear ; but whether the descriptions themselves are sufficiently 

 well defined to be of real use to a practical bryologist remains to be 

 seen. All varieties, as well as the details of synonymy and biblio- 

 graphy, are omitted; and the Sp^iaynacea are outside the scope of 

 the work. . p 



BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, 



At a meeting of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical 

 Society, held on Nov. 30, the President, Mr. J. Cosmo Melvill, 

 announced that the Council had awarded the Wilde gold medal of 

 the Society for 1898 to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, in recognition 

 of his eminent services to all branches of botanical science. It is 

 hoped that Sir Joseph will attend a meeting of the Society in March 

 to receive the medal. 



Mr. H. E. Brown, of Chico, California, has issued a remarkable 

 list of his collections. We are not quite sure whether this embodies 

 the latest American researches into nomenclature, or whether the 

 printer has been allowed to indulge his fancy without let or hin- 

 drance ; but it may safely be said that no similar enumeration has 

 been published since the celebrated Kew Seed-list for 1885. Among 

 the genera we note "Paconia," "Nephai," "Thelaspi," "Painassia," 

 "Onotheia," " Oilia," "Suireae," "Convolvus," " Sibine," "Mach- 



