316 77/i? Botanical Gazette. . [November, 



terest of the Botanical Club, an exceedingly valuable organization, and 

 one whose informal meetings cannot be duplicated by a Botanical 

 Section of the Association. Even if the division into botanical and 



* 



zoological sections be made, it will always be desirable to have certain 

 papers of general biological interest read in joint session, a thing com- 

 monly provided for in other sections. 



CURRENT LITERATURE. 

 SaecaiNlo's Syllo^e Fuuirorum. 



The enumeration and description of all known fungi, a work or 

 enormous magnitude, was begun a decade or more ago by Prof. P.. A. 

 Saccardo, of Padua, Italy. The first volume appeared in 1882, and 

 the eighth and last of the regular enumeration two years ago. The 

 eight, thick, royal octavo volumes contained the description of 3i,9 2 7 

 species. 



It was to be expected that some species would be overlooked, and 

 that new ones would be constantly added, so that the work is no 

 sooner finished than it needs a supplement. The first number of such 

 a supplement is already issued, and botanists will feel under a special 

 debt of gratitude to the author for the promptness with which it has 

 been prepared. 



The Sitpplementum Universale is to consist of two volumes, the first 

 of which bears date of September, 1891, and the second is promised % 

 for 18Q2. The present volume * is as thick as the thickest of those 

 which have preceded, and contains descriptions of 4463 species, dis- 

 tributed among six large groups, as follows: Hymenomyceteae 1083, 

 Gasteromycetese 72, Hypodermeae (Ustilagmere and Ufedineae) 249* 

 Phycomyceteae 139, Pyrenomyceteae 2903, and Laboulbeniacea 17- 



The volumes containing the Pyrenomycetese were issued in 1882-3, 

 which partly accounts for the great preponderance of species in that 

 group. The Laboulbeniacese appeared in the final volume, 1889, with 

 only 15 species, and the 17 additions of the supplement were all de- 

 rived from the two publications of Dr. Roland Thaxter, and are all 

 American. Thus the largest and earliest published group shows an 

 increase of 47 per cent., and the smallest and latest published group 

 shows an increas e of 113 per cent. Even if we take into view dierusts 



1 Saccardo, P. A.— Sylioge fungorum omnium hucusque cognitorum: Vol. IX, 

 Supplements universale. Pars I. pp. ,141. R oy . 8vo. Padova. 1891.-*. 57 



