1897 ] BRIEPFER ARTICLES toy 
Bonanni occurs. What is very singular, however, is that Rostafinski 
refers this extract to Bonamy, FI. Nannetensis, 1782. 
The synonymy shows clearly that after the Linnean date of 1753 
Mucilago is used generically by Battarra, Adanson, Haller, and Schrank. 
This is certainly sufficient to establish and maintain its use as the 
proper generic term. 
In seeking to establish the specific name we reach the following 
result. Byssus bombycina of Retzius is admitted by Rostafinski evi- 
dently on the authority of Schrank, Bay. Flora 638. Retzius, Bot. Obs. 
fasc. 1: 34, states distinctly that Byssus bombycina is Byssus floccosa of 
Schreber. Persoon, Synopsis 696, accepts them as identical and refers 
them to his genus Dematium. Fries, S. M. 3:379, considers them 
merely hyphez. In fact, Schrank’s Muctlago crustacea at most can 
apply only to forms 8 and y of Haller, which are outside the species. 
It is strange Rostafinski did not quote this name as a synonym. 
The next name in order of time is Mucor spongiosus Leysser, Flora 
Halensis, 2 ed. 1783. The reference is to the page and figure of 
Micheli, which is universally accepted as representing the species, and 
the description also accords perfectly with it. This citation escaped 
Rostafinski altogether, and the reason for it is very curious. Rosta- 
finski’s synonymy in general is copied bodily from Fries $. M., and 
from its index. Mucor spongiosus does indeed occur in the index, but 
aslip of pen or of type refers it to Leers instead of Leys., and of 
course it could not be verified. 
So far, then, as we have been able to trace the synonymy the cor- 
rect name for the Reficularia alba of Bulliard, Spumaria mucilago of 
Persoon, and Ssumaria alba of De Candolle, is Mucilago spongiosa 
(Leys.).—A. P. Morcan, Preston, O. 
