We do not call the plant Catastoma subterranea because Peck 

 called it "Bovista subterranea, n. s." We can see no particular merit 

 in that, when it is neither a "Bovista" nor a ''new species." We call 

 it Catastoma subterranea on the ground of "priority," the priority of 

 ideas, Morgan being the first man to do creditable work with the plant, 

 and to formulate an intelligent idea of the genus. Every one has 

 adopted Morgan's idea in regard to this genus ; why not be honest and 

 adopt his names also? 



LEPIOTA BADHAMI. 



"Your mycological observations are of much interest. One only 

 appears to me to be in error. This is on the subject of Lepiota Badhami, 

 which you have identified with Agaricus haematospermus, Bulliard. 

 I am assured that the species of Bulliard has not the lamellae nor the 

 white spores and is a little species, much smaller than Lepiota Badhami. 

 The error seems to have been by reason of Prof. Quelet having con- 

 founded under the name haematospermus, Lepiota Badhami and Lepi- 

 ota meleagris, and the species of Bulliard. The latter is identical with 

 L. echinata Quelet, or Psalliota echinata and haematosperma, Fries, 

 the latter author having the specimens under two names. The spores 

 of Bulliard's Lepiota are at first an olive gray ; if collected on glass and 

 given free exposure they take a beautiful red color." 



E. Boudier, Montmorency, France. 



The above note is of great interest, but it is Bresadola (not we) 

 see Myc. Notes, p. 54, who gives Agaricus haematospermus as a syn- 

 onym for Lepiota Badhami. We have never seen Bulliard's plate.f 



DUPLICATE NAMES. 



The great cry, when one proposes to use binomials as the names 

 of plants and omit the advertising feature of a personal name, is 

 "What will you do when two authors call different plants by the same 

 name?" In nineteen cases in twenty where this occurs the second 

 author has misdetermined the first author's plant and hence, putting 

 the first author's name after it does not help matters at all. In a large 

 proportion of the twentieth cases, different plants are given the same 

 name by the same author. Thus Berkelev found a "new species" of 

 Lycoperdon from India which he called Lycoperdon delicatum, and 

 some years afterward he found another "new species," but quite a dif- 

 ferent plant from America, which he called Lycoperdon delicatum. 

 How can you distinguish these plants by writing "Berkeley" after 

 them ? Such cases are bound to confuse, and in this instance we were 

 confused when we made our note on page 153. Morgan knew of the 

 duplication of this name but was careful not to draw attention to it. 



tNoTE. This item has been standing in mss. for perhaps a couple of years and was 

 crowded out of the Notes. We have since seen Bulliard's plate. 



243 



