256 Miscellaneous, 



industry of the author, although his methods are not likely to be 

 adopted by practical botanists. Philological, antiquarian, and other 

 discussions of length occur constantly, and seem altogether out of 

 place in a modern Flora, A case in point may be found under 

 Belxine Dioscoridis, which, by the way, is the correct name (Jlde 

 Bubani) of the Linnean Parietaria officinalis. " Quid est Pcrdi- 

 chim, Theophr. Hist. pi. c. 11 ? " Then follows a dissertation of 

 some twenty lines, which doubtless would appeal to the classical 

 scholar, but which most botanists would dismiss as useless. Viscum 

 alhum. (our mistletoe) becomes, with Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and 

 Pliny as his authorities, SteJin aVmm, Bubani. Holy Writ is fre- 

 qnently appealed to, and Qaerms vidgarit^^liWA. Sacr. Genesis, chapt. 

 XXXV. V. 8(?), does duty for our common British Q. jiediincidata. 

 We do not know Hebrew, hut it seems absurd to state (even if the 

 assertion be queried by its maker) that the following verse gives us 

 any information as to the sjjecies of oak meant: — "But Deborah 

 Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an 

 oak : and the name of it was called Allou-bachuth," Of the three 

 common European Poplars, Theophrastus, Homer, and the Bible 

 are respectively quoted as the authorities for Populas tremula, 

 P. nigra, and P. alba. The descriptions given in the works cited 

 by Dr. Bubani are certainly insufficient to enable us to determine 

 the species. 



The treatment of Prunella vulgaris occupies seven pages. There 

 is neither here nor elsewhere in the book any specific descriptions, 

 but full synonymy and citations are given, as well as localities, and 

 critical notes on the structure and affinities &c. of the plant. 



But we cannot conclude our notice of this remarkable work 

 w thout quoting a learned critic, who writes : — " A volume of such 

 leai'ning and erudition, and one so accurately compiled, must, in 

 spite of its eccentricities, have a warm welcome in the botanist's 

 library." G. N. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Note on Pamphila gonessa, Heiv. By F. A. Hekon. 



The name of this species is, as mentioned by Dr. W, J. Holland 

 in his paper on the African Hesperiids (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1896, p. 102), 

 omitted from Kirby's list of the Hewitson collection, but the type 

 itself is in the collection under cretacea, Snellen, of which it is a 

 synonym. 



Beneath the specimen the pin bears the labels '■'gonessa, Hew.'' 

 (in Hewitson's own writing), and " Angola " (printed) ; but these 

 names are not visible unless the insect is reversed. 



No. 315 of Holland's list is therefore only an additional synonym 

 of his no. 149. 



