66 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. [ March, 
‘tion number of this journal, took occasion to say of the botanical papers pre- 
‘sented at Ann Arbor, that “these furnish meena evidence of the goo 
work doing in this ay of science on the American continent, and will not 
suffer from comparison with a similar record at any o ‘ae recent gout of 
-our own [British] asctaeti ” Some of the papers are mentioned as “giving 
-especially good evidence of a capacity for original work.” American botanists 
mmay well feel encouraged at these signs of intellectual prosperity. 
THERE ARE TWO things that we would like to see our systematic botanists 
The first has reference to the citation of authorities. It is the most evi- 
dent injustice to ignore and lose sight of the author who originally defined a 
species. This becomes painfully evident when by some change in our notions 
of ont limitations whole groups of species are set adrift, to be caught up 
and named in a wholesale way by some one who had nothing whatever «o do 
with able the species. In such a case it would be very simple to cite two 
authorities, one in barnes? referring to the author who originally published 
the species, under whatever name, the other the authority asnow quoted. This 
would not only be rae tak would also facilitate reference to the literature 
of the species. The first author holds a peculiar relation to the species that 
should be acknowledged ns Te It is his by right of discovery, and what 
ever name it may afterwards be called does not affect this fact, and should not 
prevent his name being forever connected with it. 
The other thing is in reference to generic names. It is our belief that a 
name once used for a genus should never be so used again even if the genus has 
been reduced to a synonym. This should be especially avoided within the 
limits of a single order. ‘There is no telling when the old genus may appear 
again, and then the new one must be renamed and synonymy becomes confused. 
THE NEw Eprrors of the Torrey Bulletin have made a change in the dress 
of that journal and have increased the number of pages to sixteen, using larger 
type and dividing the articles more prominently. The January number opens 
with a —— of North American species of hci by Dr. Gray. The “In- 
German ees bite — that there will be enough sound American litera- 
ture to keep thi always full, but we doubtit. Weare glad tonote 
the increasing xia of the Bulletin, and wish its new editors susie success. 
p of explanation seems to be necessary regarding the place of pub- 
lication of the first ten volumes of the GazerrE. Cataloguers and indexers 
have fallen into natural mistakes in regard to this matter by assuming, in the 
absence of any direct statement to the contrary, that the printers were also the 
publishers. e prominent index goes so far as to style it “a migratory pub- 
m 
has had but two offices of publication. From November, 1875, to August, 1879, 
it was some from Hanover, Indiana, and since that time from Crawfords- 
ville, India 
Tue TORS were more disappointed than subscribers could have been 
when the Scans number of the Gazerre appeared with the cover of the last 
