138 ERYTHEA. 
Micrampelis Rusbyi. MM. macrocarpa (Britt.) Rusby, 
Mem. Torr. Club. iii. 41 (1893), not of Greene, Fl. Fr. 236 
(1891). Dr. Britton who in 1890 proposed an Echinocystis 
macrocarpa, seems entirely to have overlooked my own 
species of that name which I published as long ago as 1885; 
and Dr. Rusby has now reiterated the homonym under 
Micrampelis, where also I antedate him. 
A NEW FASHION IN WRITING PLANT NAMES. 
By Epwarp L. GREEens. 
AT last year’s meeting of the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science, a Committee of the Botanical Club 
of the Association was charged with the very important work 
of preparing an authentic list of the Flowering Plants and 
Ferns of North Eastern North A'merica; one of the most 
commendable movements that could be imagined. The 
chairman of this committee, Dr. Britton, in a circular newly 
issued, reports good progress in the undertaking, and sub- 
stantial agreement as to principles and methods, at the same 
time asking the opinions of botanists respecting certain mat- 
ters of “typography.” The gentlemen of the committee 
appear not to be of one mind about the retention of the old 
usage of beginning certain classes of specific names with a 
capital letter. It seems to be in reality a question of gram- 
mar; and the reason why it is now raised appears to be that 
we are threatened with a new fashion in botanogrammatics. 
Some members of this committee are in favor inaugurating 
the system of decapitalizing such specific names as, by the 
ordinary rules of grammar, are begun with a capital letter, 
namely, personal, geographical and old-generic specific 
names. 
Ido not know why Dr. Britton in his circular should have 
spoken of this as being “ the system employed in most recent 
American writings,” unless he was writing under the influence 
