TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION D. — DEPT. ZOOLOGY AND BOTANT. 583 



and more particularly still, the unravelling- that dreadful synonymy which clogs and 

 fetters the systematist at every step. 



Anion<rst the cryptogamia, I have to make mention of the completion of Jaeger's 

 * Adumbratio Florte Muscorum.' This work was begun in the year 1871 and carried 

 on by Dr. Jieger until his death, when alter a short interval it was recommenced 

 and iinally iinished by Dr. Sauerbeck two years ago. With its two supplements, the 

 ' Adumbratio' enumerates 335 genera and 7,-i22 species, and gives, so far as it is 

 known, the geographical range of each species over the world. There are, however, 

 no descriptions of the species, but the muscologist is referred to the various pub- 

 lications in which these — at least tlie more recently described ones — have originally 

 iippeared. The synonymy, which in mosses is as extensive and as confused as in 

 any other group of plants (always excepting the ferns), is in many cases imper- 

 fectly worked out ; and the dithculty of finding a species or its synonym is further 

 enhanced by there being no index. But notwithstanding these defects, the last 

 of which might easily be remedied, the work is one of considerable value to those 

 who have to arrange in an herbarium large collections of mosses, and it will save 

 anyone, who may hereafter undertake the task of writing a ' Species Muscorum,' 

 a vast amount of preliminary labour. AVhetber the numberof genera and species 

 — and especially the genera — have been undidy increased by overdividiug is a 

 subject on which there will be considerable difference of opinion ; but as a matter 

 of convenience the' system of having big genera, with sections, is much to be pre- 

 ferred to that of having a number of small ones ; if only on account of the great 

 multiplication of names which the latter entails. In the case of species, the 

 Idnd of names, which have been given of late, are suggestive of sub-division 

 having been carried too far. For instance, we have many so-called species the 

 names of which are made up of some old well-known species and the prefix 

 * pseuflo' or ' sub.'' Thus in the genus Hypnum we have no less than twenty-seven 

 names beginning with ' jjse'tdo,' as Hypnum j^seuclo-commutaium, Hypnum ]3seudo- 

 ■popxdeum, or Hyimum jiseudo-veluthmm ; while in the same genus under 'si«6,' such 

 for instance as Hypnmn suh-imjjonenx or Hypnum sub-rutahulum, we have no less 

 than forty-nine such names. 



4. Monographs of separate o'-ders, or genera, sub-genei-a, or species. 

 There are several important monographs, which have been written during the 

 last few years; and perhaps none more so than those which have made their 

 appearance under the auspices of the two De Candolles (father and son), in con- 

 tinuation or revision of the ' Prodromus.' In the three volumes as yet published 

 there are ten orders, which have been monographed. The orders are — 



Smilacese by Alphonse De Candolle. 



Restiacepe by Dr. Masters. 



jNIeliacese by Casimir De Candolle. 



AraceiB by Engler. 



Phylydraceae by C-aruel. 



Alismaceae ) 



Butomese 'r by Michel. 



Juncaginere I 



Commelinacere by C. B. Clarke. 



Cucurbitacere by Cogniaux. 



It will be noticed that of these ten orders eight belong to the monocotyledons. 

 This will be welcomed l)y all botanists, as it is this portion of the phanerogamia 

 which has been most neglected. 



Another of the monocotyledonous orders, which has been worked out at great 

 length by Von Otto Boeckler'in 'Lhnifea,' is Cyperacese. But as his writings extend 

 over no less than seven volumes of that journal, it is an awkward work to use, let 

 alone that his arrangement and limitation of the species is not always easy to 

 imderstand. 



In Graminepe, botanj' has received a great blow in the unfortunate death of 

 General Mumo, who, had life been spared to him for a few years longer, would doubt- 



