190 The Botanical Gazette. 
slender, and the bracts are most of them linear lanceolate instead of — 
lanceolate. It would be of interest to the writer to learn whether the — 
above variety has often been met with, and whether similar variations : 
occur in other species or genera of this order. 
Bulletin has come to hand. - Reference is there made (p. 37,) to Hab 
enaria blephariglottis, var. holopetala Torr., as having entire petals 
times, and (p. 38), to a variety of H. ci/iaris, collected during the past 
season in the vicinity of New York, in which the lip was either imper 
fectly fringed or entire, while the spur was either very short or obs 
lete, The figures given above, therefore, only illustrate the extreme — 
of variation found within the limits of the genus—Henry G. Jest, 
Hanover, N. H. } 
EDITORIAL. 
Tue need of a comprehensive index to the wnitings of : 
botanists becomes more urgent every year. What Farlow’s index dd 
Sent out by the experiment stations in the form of a serial, the Ext 
ment Station Record, but the multiplicity of subjects included 
been written in America upon a particular subject are meas and 
noyingly impertect. 
The need of such an index was formerly not strongly felt 
a few workers, but recently it has become the fashion (may !t 
depart) to include in every considerable research a more oF 
plete historical review, and in all matters of moment to give the © 
nection of the observations with previously recorded facts. sak 
present lack of any suitable index this is often a formidable al 
18 usually attended with great uncertainty, particularly 1» 
€rican records. Z 
Could such an admirable work as Just’s Jahresbericht be 
for the current writings of American botanists, it would not 
