1897 | BRIEFER ARTICLES 107 
of pollen collecting bees, and the same applies exactly to S. mexicana. 
It is of no account whatever for bees. At the same time, however, it 
does attract great quantities of small diptera and hymenoptera. One 
day, in the middle of May, I swept an elder tree in a neighboring 
orchard, and sent the flies to Mr. Coquillett, and the Hymenoptera to 
Mr. Ashmead. Here are the names as kindly determined by them: 
DietERA: Lugnoriste occidentalis Coq., Tachydromia postica Walk., 
Chlorops obesa Fitch, Agromyza platvptera VYhom., Micropeza pro- 
ducta Walk. 
HYMENOPTERA: Ammoplanus levis (Prov., as Anacrabro), Hexaplasta 
zigzag Riley, Microterys marginatus Ashm. n. sp., Elasmosoma 
cockereliit Ashm. n. sp., Protapanteles monticola Ashm., Meteorus 
vulgaris Cress., Lysiphlebus sp. 
It is to be observed with regard to Hugnoriste occidentalis, that it is 
a mycetophilid with a remarkably long proboscis, so far only known 
from this vicinity, but very abundant here. It visits all sorts of flowers 
and must possess some importance to them. It is, perhaps, more 
especially adapted to the smaller Composite, like certain of the meloid 
beetles.— T. D. A. CoCKERELL, Mesilla, New Mexico. 
THE OFFICIAL NOMENCLATURE OF THE ROYAL BOTAN- 
ICAL GARDEN AND MUSEUM OF BERLIN. 
In a recent number of Gartenfiora* the staff of the Botanical 
Garden and Museum of Berlin publishes its code of working rules, 
concerning the formation, choice, and application of plant names. 
After a brief but forcible introduction, describing the present con- 
fusion in nomenclature, the unintelligibility of the names used by 
certain American botanists, the practical rather than theoretical impor- 
tance of nomenclature in general, and finally the difficulties of a 
nomenclature reform from the side of the applied sciences, the con- 
clusion is reached that the course of the extreme reformers cannot be 
followed. The members of the staff state that they are fully aware that 
it is impossible to secure a uniform nomenclature, but recognize no 
harm in the fact that certain variations exist and must remain. For 
these reasons they do not wish to have their rules regarded as laws to 
be laid upon other botanists by any authority. However, they cannot 
*Op. cit. 46 :304. June 1897. 
