BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 285 



number of which contains the ''Report on the Economic Resources 

 of the West Indies," by Dr. Morris, which was appended to the 

 report of the West India Commission issued last year. It is edited 

 by Dr. Dyer, who says that "the opportunity has been taken to 

 carefully revise it." There is room, however, for further revision — 

 e. g. we note that Macfadyen's name is always misspelt. The 

 "additional series" follows in the wake of its predecessor in the 

 matter of dates: the Stationery Office date is "11/97"; the title 

 and cover bear "1898"; the preface is dated "January, 1898"; 

 and the book actually appeared in May. 



Prof. Archevalata publishes in the Anales del Museo nacional 

 de Montevideo (vol. ii. part 8) the first instalment of a Flora Urii- 

 guaya. It is descriptive, and contains the families Ranunculacem to 

 part of CrucifercB. Cultivated plants, such as Mathiola incana and 

 Cheiranthus Cheiri, are included. Prof. Archevalata follows Dr. 

 Kunze in adopting the name Clematitis in place of Clematis, but with 

 this exception the nomenclature presents no remarkable features. 

 The work is written in Spanish throughout, and is expected to extend 

 to two volumes, each of about 600 or 700 pages. No new species 

 are described so far. 



At the Anniversary Meeting of the Linnean Society on May 24th, 

 a special gold medal was presented to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker on 

 the occasion of the completion of The Flora of British India, in recog- 

 nition of the eminent services rendered by him to science during sixty 

 years of unremitting labour. In acknowledging the presentation, 

 Sir Joseph thanked the President of the Society, Dr. Giinther, for 

 having coupled his father's name with his own in making the award, 

 and added : — " I inherited from him my love of knowledge for its own 

 sake, but this would have availed me little were it not for the guiding 

 hand of one who had himself attained scientific eminence ; who, by 

 example, precept and encouragement, kept me to the paths which 

 I should follow ; launched me in the fields of exploration and re- 

 search, liberally aided me during his lifetime, and paved for me 

 the way to the position he so long held at Kew with so great 

 credit to himself, and benefit especially to our Indian and Colonial 

 possessions." The gold medal of the Society was awarded to 

 Surgeon-Major George Charles Wallace, M.D., in recognition of 

 his researches into the problems connected with bathybial and 

 pelagic life. 



At a meeting of the Linnean Society on June 2nd, Mr. E. S. 

 Salmon read a paper entitled "A Revision of the Genus Sym- 

 hlepharis.'" This genus of Mosses, he said, as founded by Montagne 

 in 1839, had proved too narrow, through the limits imposed by 

 certain peristome characters, and he was of opinion that Mitten's 

 later emended description should be accepted. Montagne had 

 founded the genus for the Mexican 8. helicophylla, and to this 

 species Mr. Salmon would refer the Indian moss 8. himalayanwn 

 Mitten (Didymodon vaginatum Hook.), as well as 8. Chrismari 

 C. Miill. and 8, asiatica Besch,, which were found not to possess 



