588 EEPORT— 1882. 



catalogued. Amongst these are many species formerly unknown to science, of 

 -whicli descriptions, and in many cases plates, have been given. The Spicilegium, 

 as most botanists here know, was the result of an adventurous raid made by Mr. 

 Ball into the region of the Atlas countrv^, iu company with Sir Joseph Hooker and 

 Mr. George Maw, in the early part of the year 1871. 



Dr. Aitchison, surgeon-major in the Bengal Army, iii a long paper, with thirty 

 plates, containing the portraits of as many new species, gives us the result of his 

 researches into the botany of the Curam Valley and its neighbourhood, during his 

 march with the army luider General Roberts to Cabool — a very interesting paper, 

 when taken in reference to the boundaries of the two great works which treat of 

 Southern Asiatic botany — viz. Hookers ' Flora of British India ' and Boissier's 

 ' Flora Orientalis.' 



In addition to these papers on descriptive botan}', Mr. Bentham has given us 

 several, which he has called notes, on the larger and more complicated natural 

 orders, which he has worked up for the 'Genera Plantarum.' They are — 



1. Notes on the Gamopetalous Orders belonging to the Campanulaceous and 

 Oleaceous Group. 



2. Notes on Orchidacere. 



3. Notes on Cyperace». 



4. Notes on Graminere. 



These notes, however, like those on ^lyrtacere and Compositfp, are philosophical 

 treatises, in which he lays down the principles by which he has been governed in 

 determining what characters sliall be taken into consideration for limiting the tribes, 

 sub-tribes, and genera. 



Secondly : In the botanical part of the ' Aunales des Sciences Naturelles,' although 

 there are mawj papers of much excellence on the lower forms of vegetable life, 

 there are few on the phanerogamia and higher crjptogams. On the mosses, 

 however, there are several papers of very considerable interest by M. Emile Besch- 

 erelle, who has described a large number of new species from the French Antilles, 

 and from the Reunion Islands. In the ' Botanische Zeitung ' and ' Linntea ' there 

 are also many papers describing new species of mo.sses from various extra-European 

 countries by Dr. Carl jMueller, Professor S. O. Lindberg, Geheeb, and the late 

 Ernest llampe. Besides being indebted to these authors for their contributions to 

 bryology, we have to thank M. Ilusnot for continuing his very unpretentious but 

 useful periodical, the ' Revue Bryologique.' Dr. Bruithwaites work on the British 

 mosses continues to make progress, but it will not render the publication of a 

 new edition of ' Wilsoji's Bryologia Britannica ' the less desirable. 



Perhaps there are few more striking examples of the rapid strides which 

 civilisation has made of late years in the more distant parts of the world, than the 

 publication of the 'Scientists Directory.' In this stout volume are recorded the 

 many hundred names and addresses of all who are interested in the ^ arious branches 

 of natural science, and who are desirous of collecting specimens of the natural 

 history of the country iu which they are residing, and of exchanging them for 

 those of other countries. The arrangement of the directory is partly geographical 

 and partly alphabetical, and the combination of these two arrangements makes its 

 consultation A'ery easy. For botanists who wish to study some particular group of 

 plants, or the flora of some particular district, the ' Scientist's Directory ' will be 

 indispensable ; as by its help he will be able to find out at once to whom he may 

 address himself, with the greatest amount of probability of obtaining the material 

 or information which he may want. 



It would not be fitting for one in the year 1882, who is pretending to give an 

 account of the progress of systematic botany, to omit all mention of that wonderful 

 gallery of painthigs which has just been presented to the Royal Gardens at Kew 

 by Miss North. This gallery — the descriptive catalogue of which by Mr. Hemsley 

 has already reached a second edition — contains the mo.«t exquisite sketches of the 

 more strikinglj- beautiful features of the vegetation which exists in all the four 

 quarters of the globe. All the paintings are from the brush of Miss North herself, 

 and whether regarded as accurate representations of the plants which they profess 

 to portray, or as objects of art, they are equal!}' worthy of our admiration. 



