62 ARTICLES IN JOURNALS. 



of the vast genus Astragalus, which, by the observance of this plan, 

 would now be destitute of any name, for in turn all its names have 

 been taken as synonyms, such as Glycia, Phaca, Pelecinus, Traga* 

 cantha, Astragalus, and Biserrula. Such a plan is absolutely un- 

 workable, as many names which are now in common use have at 

 one time suffered eclipse. 



Before concluding it may be well to notice one other strange 

 aberration, which is to be found in the last number of Pittonia, 

 where Prof. Greene has revived some of Rafinesque's forgotten or 

 condemned genera, and in accordance therewith renamed many 

 species. Jacksonia, to supersede Polanisia, does not greatly matter, 

 for Polanisia is now sunk in Cleome, therefore the homonym of 

 Robert Brown is in no danger of extinction ; but there are many 

 others which might give some trouble. In this memoir, too, we 

 find the citation of such unknown botanical authors as Catullus, 

 and similar writers. This practice is not conducive to botany, nor 

 even to scholarship, for it does not require much classical ability to 

 look in a Latin dictionary to discover many plant names are there 

 to be found cited as occurring in the pages of the Roman writers. 

 A fact which cannot be gainsaid remains, that these men did not 

 define these genera in a Linnean sense, and therefore to cite either 

 them, or even comparatively much later ones for specific names, 



as "Dod." or " C. Bauh." is mere antiquarian, and not modern 

 botany. 



Vagaries such as these are sure to occur. Every age has had 

 persons of the type of Rafinesque, and we need entertain little 

 doubt that the good sense of the great body of workers in botany 

 will in future, as in the past, sweep aside these flimsy webs of 

 sophistry in favour of procedure that has in the main worked 

 excellently for more than a century, which, being based upon 

 foundations of practical utility, will endure long after these in- 

 genious contrivers are as little followed as the old masters of pre- 



Linnean botany are at the present day. 



B. Daydon Jackson. 



if 



ARTICLES IN JOURNALS. 



ttish Natural Historii (Jan."). — W 



the Flora of Shetland.' — A. Bennett, « Contributions towards a 

 Flora of the Outer Hebrides.' — F. B. White, ' Notes on Scottish 

 Willows.'— C. B. Plowright, &c, ' Fungi found at Stirling.' 



Bot. CentralblatL (Nos. 1, 2). — K. Pappenheim, « Eine Methode 



zur Bestimmung der Gasspannung im Splinte der Nadelbaume ' 



(1 plate).— (No. 1). E. Nickel, ' Ueber Narbenvorreife.'— (No. 2). 



Id., 'Ueber Liickenstandigkeit und Spreitenstandigkeit innerhalb 

 der Blute.' 



Botanical Gazette (Dec. 15). — D. H. Campbell, ' Belationships 

 of the Archegoniata.' — C. V. Riley, 'A new Herbarium Pest* 

 {Carphoxera pteleana). — B. D. Halstead, ' Notes on Peronosporeaj 



for 1891.' — B. L. Robinson, 'New Mexican Plants' (Ayenia 



