136 Canadian Record of Science. 



derived fi'om persons or places begin with capitals ; also when a former 

 generic name is reduced to the rank of a species, its history is traced by 

 the use of a capital. When a variety is mentioned, it is added to the 

 specific name, without any prefix, and there is no comma before the 

 name of the authority. 



The changes which these rules will make necessary will not all be 

 readily accepted. For instance, tlie substitution of " Dryopteris " for 

 "Aspidium " fern collectors will be disposed to resist ; yet, if the prin- 

 ciple pursued by our authors is scientifically sound, they did well to 

 follow it thoroughly, even ^hen it leads to somewhat startling changes 

 that will be inconvenient to the older botanists. 



Having consulted these three volumes ver}^ extensively in relation to 

 the flora of the district of Montreal, we are in a position to say that, 

 so far as the botany of Quebec is concerned, and, indeed, that of all 

 Canada, this work is a prodigious advance upon anything hitherto pub- 

 lished. A great many species grow with us which are nob credited to 

 the province ; but the authors can scarcely be blamed for such omis- 

 sions, if those having the means of information on the subject failed to 

 furnish it. Nor are the descriptions faultless, at least so far as applies 

 to those species which are found among us ; although the errors we 

 have detected are mainly those of defect rather than of positive 

 statement. 



This great work is brought out in a style worthy of the eminent 

 publishing house that has given it to the world ; and we trust that 

 its enterprising venture lias been sufficiently remunerative to warrant 

 botanists in looking forward to an extension of the undertaking, so 

 that we may have the pleasure of welcoming from the same firm a 

 volume or volumes dealing also with the Bryophyta and Thallophyta. 



R. C. 



