1880—81] BOTANICAL CORRESPONDENCE. 393 



and I shall have to see about that view. I have given the root to 

 our new and most valuable Curator (Mr. Lynch) and hope therefore 

 to see something of it next summer, if all goes well with it and me. 

 It is very curious that you find it in only one place, and even there 

 in such small quantity. I will write again with the Eubi when I 

 have examined them, but such examinations often take some con- 

 siderable time, and I have a set of Briggs' which have precedence. 

 I am sorry that we have seen less of your son than we wished. — 

 Yours very truly, Charles C. Babington, 



To Arthur Bennett, Esq. 



Cambridge, Oct. 16, 1880. 



My dear Sir, — I must send you a few more words about the 

 Potamogeton. As I said in my last letter, I am quite satisfied about 

 its being P. lanceolatus (Sm.). I have for some time given up the 

 idea of its possible identity with varifolius. I have a specimen " Uza 

 Dept. des Landes" Endress 1831, which is certainly not our plant, 

 and Grenier placed it under gramineus (our heterophyllus). P. lan- 

 ceolatus of Reichenbach "Fl. Germ. Exsicc." No. 2401, is P. salicifolius 

 (WoUg.) = lonchites I suppose of Tuckerman. The only approach to 

 our plant that I have is the P. panormitanus (Biv.) No. 188 in Huet 

 du Pavilion's "Fl. Siculae." But Parlatore says that the true P. panor- 

 mitanus is puro sinonisvio dei P. pusilhis. ("Fl. Italiana" u. 638.) 

 My specimen is from one of the sections which he quotes. Panormi- 

 tanus has much broader lower stipules. See Gussone's description 

 of it in "Fl. Siculae Synopsis," i. 207. The upper stipules also are 

 much broader than in our plant. I do not think that I can make 

 out any more about it. It seems therefore to be unknown on the 

 continent. I am very much in want of specimens of most of the 

 North American species. Any scraps therefore which you may be 

 able to spare will be acceptable. I have a large collection, and shall 

 be pleased to shew it to you at any time. — Yours truly, Charles 

 C. Babington. 



To Henry Groves, Esq. 



5, Brookside, Cambridge, Jan. 28, 1881. 



My dear Sir, — I have your circular of the 20th, and am sorry for 

 the difficulties attending the efficient working of the Exchange Club. 

 Certainly it would be far best to have the work in one hand, if one 

 hand can be found to do it. It entails much labour, and the 

 members ought to be very grateful to any one who is willing to give 

 up so much of his time, and so much labour for their benefit. The 

 summer is a most inconvenient time for such work ; for then many 

 men are not continuously at home. I often have parcels of plants 

 sent to me by my correspondents in the middle of the summer ; and 

 as I usually am away from home most part of August and all of 

 September, they have to lie unopened until my return in October ; 



