28 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



and seriously injured the Hawthorns, which are abundant on 

 the eastern slopes at Malvern Wells. Within a few days of the 

 date of the fires, new fronds of Bracken were unrolling through 

 the ashes, and patches of fungi were frequent upon the surface. 

 In October, the Hawthorns that were badly scorched came into 

 flower, in places abundantly. This flowering was confined to the 

 injured trees or, in a few instances, to trees which, apparently 

 themselves uninjured, yet stood in the midst of fire that had con- 

 sumed the herbage beneath them. On December 3rd I gathered 

 sprays still in fair condition, with blossoms and buds, and sweetly 

 scented. — Richard F. Towndrow. 



Mentha rotundifolia in Berks. — In September last I found 

 a small patch of this Mint in full flower on rough ground at the 

 foot of the railway embankment at Hampstead Norris, Berks. 

 Though the locality has been w^ell worked for plants in the past, 

 this seems hitherto to have escaped detection. It is on record for 

 the adjoining counties of Surrey, Hants, Bucks, Wilts, and 

 Gloucester, but it has not been previously recorded as a Berk- 

 shire plant. — A. Bruce Jackson. 



BE VIEWS. 



Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanarum Extra-trojncarum ; or, 

 Figtcres, luith Descriptions, of Extra-trojncal South African 

 Orchids. By Harry Bolus, F.L.S., Hon.D.Sc. (Gape). 

 Vol. ii. 8vo, cl. tt. 100, with text. Wesley. Price £2 2s. net. 



The appearance of this important contribution to our know- 

 ledge of Orchids practically synchronized with the death of its 

 accomplished author, of whom we gave some account in our 

 August issue. " Advancing years and ill-health," he tells us in his 

 preface (dated x\pril last), accounted for the delay in its production, 

 and we may be thankful that he was able to complete the volume 

 before he was taken from us. 



The notice which we printed (Journ. Bot., 1896, 484) on the 

 publication of the second part of the first volume gave some idea 

 of the excellence of the w^ork, and of its many claims upon the 

 student of the Orchid family and of South African botany. The 

 importance of figures drawn from living plants is nowhere more 

 conspicuous than in this family, and a large proportion of the 

 plates in this part are so drawn, a note on each indicating this and 

 giving the date w^hen the figure was made. Besides those collected 

 by Bolus himself, living specimens were sent him by collectors 

 and cultivators, and in every case the best material available was 

 employed. His chief helper and frequent companion was Miss 

 H. M. L. Kensit, to whom we are indebted for the biography 

 which appeared in our August number : "her re-discovery, during 

 a violent rainstorm, of Disa Telipogonis [t. 70.] on the summit of 

 Table Mountain " is referred to by Bolus with evident pleasure. 



Each species is fully described in Latin and in English ; the 



