﻿of the late Dr. Eichard Spruce (whose recent death is such an 

 irreparable loss to the botanical world). How, then, is it that he 

 describes the involucre of Lejeunea as "bifoliate," and the elaters 

 as "double"? It is stated very clearly in Spruce's book that the 

 involucre consists of two bracts and (except in Cololejeunea) a 

 bracteole, and the elaters are characteristically monospirous, 

 very rarely dispirous. Again, it is too bad to make such a high 

 authority as Spruce responsible for the two following statements 

 about Frullania (p. 22) :— (1) "Branches within the axils, cauline 

 leaves adjoining the base inwards and free." (2) " Cells of pedicel 

 of four-strata, concentric (8 in. diameter of section, 32 in. circum- 

 ference)"— a colossal pedicel forsooth ! Of course (1) should read, 

 "Branches within the axils of the cauline leaves, adjoining the 

 base inwards and free"; and the parenthesis in (2) thus, "8 in 

 diameter of section, 32 in circumference." Another instance of 

 Dr. Cooke's inaccuracy will be found on p. 239, where the descrip- 

 tion of Gtjmnomitrium obtusum runs thus : — "When tufts are crowded 

 stems erect, £ to \ inch with branches, few assurgent, to height of 

 chief stem." This is a meaningless perversion of Pearson's 

 description in Journ, Bot. 1880, p. 337 (it will be seen that Dr. 

 Cooke needlessly duplicates this reference), which was as follows:— 

 "When tufts are crowded stems erect, with branches few, assurgent 

 to height of chief stem." To give more instances would be to 



As to the illustrations, there are 201 woodcuts with the text, 

 and 7 plates which are crammed with 94 figures, so crammed 

 together, in fact, that they often overlap. In no case is the 

 amount of magnification given. Some of the woodcuts have 

 already been condemned by Gottsche (as was stated above), e.g., 

 fig. 19 for its incorrect lobule; fig. 36 for its impossible apex; 

 fig. 46 for its crenulate margins and lack of stipules, the leaves of 

 Porella rivularis being "quite entire"; fig. 90 for the reverse 

 reason, the leaves of Scapania nimbosa being "ciliato-dentate" (but 

 Dr. Cooke safeguards himself by putting a query to the figure) ; 

 fig. 159 still retains those queer markings on the capsule produced 

 by an undue intensification of the delicate lines of Carrington's fig. 

 in Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh, tab. ii. (quoted as "xi." by Dr. 

 Cooke); fig. 43 appears to be upside down. As to the curious 

 fig. 30 ("a facsimile of Dickson's figure") given with Lejeunea 

 ovata, Lindberg (Muse. Scayid. p. 7) has supplied the explanation:— 

 "E specimine auctoris J. ovata Dicks. (1798) est J. Licksoni Hook. 

 1813-16)." 



In his introduction (p. 10), Dr. Cooke says that the perianth or 

 colesule is "sometimes inaccurately termed the calyx," and supplies 

 copious instances of this misuse throughout the Handbook. He has 

 omitted to simplify the terminologies of the authors from whom he 

 has drawn his facts, and a marvellous jumble is the result, and 

 grievous will be the perplexity of beginners. For in Metejp ria and 

 Aneura calyx means involucre. In Fegatella it is stated, " Calyces 

 none": yet the only species, F. conica, has "calyx four- toothed." 

 And there are plenty more of such contradictions ; e. g. Trichocolea, 



