1859.] ADDRESS OF THE EDITOR. 7 



responding to the common or English name. This may be the 

 case. But the ' Phytologist' is not exactly the medium for sup- 

 plying the deficiencies of English dictionaries. 



The propriety of the specific term Spicant has been settled, 

 and we beg to adduce this as an evidence that the etymological 

 articles have been successful, and their utility must still remain 

 unquestioned. Eor these reasons, the uncommon etymologies 

 will, as before, receive a moderate share of consideration. Such 

 terms as are clearly and satisfactorily explained already, will 

 rarely be sent to the ' Phytologist/ and if they are sent, they 

 may be despatched in a few lines. Our readers are reminded 

 that the ' Classical Journal,^ the ' Museum Criticum,' and similar 

 learned publications current in the times when we were young- 

 sters, are now historical facts, to be numbered among things that 

 were. 



The Editor wishes one thing to be clearly understood, viz. that 

 he is not responsible either for the facts supplied to him for 

 circulation among his readers, nor for the style and manner in 

 which these are communicated. He will use all due precaution 

 against canards, notices of the discovery of mares' -nests, etc., 

 and he will take care to let nothing be printed which can justly 

 be considered offensive to good manners, or which might give 

 pain or uneasiness to any other contributor. He does not volun^; 

 teer this statement of his editorial duties and liabilities because 

 of any complaints either against himself, or which have been 

 aimed at any of his fellow-labourers ; but because there was a slight 

 misunderstanding about the intent of the short article on ' Things 

 not Generally Known.' The printing of this article in the ' Phy- 

 tologist' was not approved of by all our readers : in some quarters 

 there was a misapprehension of its object. The correspondent 

 who sent it did not quote the source whence it was taken. The 

 Editor believed that the work from which it is an extract was so 

 generally known, that it was superfluous to supply this omission. 

 He thought that every one of the reading public would recognize 

 the title as the name of a very popular work. The quotation had 

 gone the round of the newspapers, and even appeared in some 

 penny almanacs, and in tradesmen's almanacs, publications in 

 which London tradesmen advertise tea, tobacco, sugar, spirits, 

 wine, figs, nuts, etc. As it happened, the substance of the article 

 had the appearance of vraisemblance, and unfortunately mingled 



