256 " Miscellaneous. 



industry of the author, ahhough his mothods are not likely to be 

 adopted by practical botanists, rhilologioal, antiquarian, and other 

 discussions of length occur constantly, an,d seem altogether out of 

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

 IJelccine Dioscoridis, which, by the way, is the correct name [fide 

 Bubani) of the Linncan Parietaria officinalis. " Quid est Perdl- 

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

 some twenty lines, which doubtless would appeal to the classical 

 scholar, but which most l)otanists would dismiss as useless. Visctnn 

 aJhum (our mistletoe) becomes, with Theophrastus, Dioscorides, and 

 Pliny as his authorities, SfeUn aUmm, liuhnni. Holy \Vrit is fre- 

 quently a])pealed to, and Q/nirits vid(/<iri.'<, Bibl. Sacr. (Jenesis, chapt. 

 XXXV. V. 8(?), does duty for our common Brirish Q. j>eduncidatiu 

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

 assertion be <iuericd by its maker) tliat the following verse gives us 

 any information as to the s})ecies of oak meant-.: — "But Deborali 

 Bebekalis nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an 

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

 common European Poplars, Theophrastus, Homer, and the Bible 

 are respectively quoted as the authorities for Popidus tvemtda, 

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

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

 the species. 



The treatment of Prunella vidr/aris occupies seven pages. There 

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

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

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



But we cannot conchule our notice of this remarkable work 

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

 learning and erudition, and one so accurately compiled, must, in 

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

 library." . (>. N. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Note on Pamphila gonessa. Hew. By F. A, Heron. 



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

 inhispaper on the African Hesperiids(Proc. Zool. Soc. l!5tM5, p. 102), 

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

 it.self is in the eollection under cntacea, Snellen, of which it is a 

 synonym. 



' P.cneath the specimen the pin bears the labels ^'gonessa, Hew.'' 

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

 names are not visil)le unless the insect is reversed. 



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

 of his no. 14'.b 



