184 The Botanical Gazette. [April, 
literature will certainly reassure him. To say nothing of bacteriology, 
which is in itself a science, work in all lines among the lower forms 
of life was surely never so great as now. Take even that small group 
of organisms, the mycetozoa, which forms the topic of the volume be- 
fore us* and here we have treating the same subject two monographs 
in the English language within as many years. These two compre- 
hensive works represent, of course, different collections; but that such 
works, handsome, costly works, should appear at all is evidence of 
the universal, cumulative interest lately roused in the organisms of 
which the volumes treat. The former volume dealt with the collec- 
tions of Myxogastres, or, as they are familiarly called, slime-molds at 
Kew; the present volume treats of the collections, equally rich, which 
have place in the magnificent herbarium of the British Museum. Mr. 
Lister, the present author, has been long a student of his subject, has 
had access to all the largest collections, especially American collec- 
tions, in the world, has the advantage of writing last, and has conse- 
quently given us the best account of the slime-molds that has so far 
appeared: nevertheless it is plain for many reasons that the last word 
on the subject has not been said. Mr. Lister, adopting De Bary’s 
view of the relationship of the group and following the wavering au- 
thority of Rostafinski calls the organisms he discusses Mycefozoa. This 
name was substituted by De Bary for Myxomycetes Link, simply to €x- 
press his view that the organisms in question were animals rather 
than fungi. Both names are bad on etymological grounds and have 
the further disadvantage of supplanting the old appellation A/yxogas- 
tres Fries, which has no etymological falsity. Myxogastres ought to 
stand as it was correctly applied and limited. 
In his arrangement Mr. Lister follows Rostafinski; but in almost 
nothing else; the Polander’s species are thoroughly revised and a 
great many go down as synonyms of each other. In this revision Mr. 
Lister is not always consistent. For instance: the form familiar to 
American students as Clathroptychium rugulosum (Wallr.) R. is, in the 
face of Rostafinski’s protest, S/uzowce p. 225, written down under the 
generic name Dictydiethalium, adopted under mistaken conception by 
Rostafinski in his university studies, and committed to Fuckel for 
publication in Syméole Mycologice, 1873. Rostafinski was the first to 
discover his mistake, and as cited made the necessary corrections, 
1874-5, and the name in general use resulted. Under the circum- 
stances it might, one thinks, have been allowed to stand. But, now 
apy STOLE 
alogue of the species in the herbarium of the British Museum. 
1ListeR, ARTHUR:—A monograph of the Mycetozoa, being a descriptive cat 
iti m. 8vo. pp. —: 
pl. 78. figs. 51. London: 1894. 
