1867.] Botany, Vegetable Morphology, and Physiology. 235 



the neighbouring valleys, which are said to possess the climate of 

 a hothouse. Mr. Blytt gives the upper limit of some of the 

 common trees of the district, which it is interesting to compare 

 with similar observations in this country. 



TJie Lindley Library. — The Committee of the International 

 Botanical Congress, in whose report the above-quoted papers and 

 others of great value are to be found, have, after all their expenses, 

 a residuary balance of 1,800?. With this they propose to purchase 

 the Lindley Library and other books, to form the foundation of a 

 Botanical and Horticultural Library, to be connected with the 

 Boyal Horticultural Society, provided her Majesty's Commissioners, 

 who are interested in the advancement of the South Kensington 

 Estate, are willing to provide a suitable reading-room, with glass 

 cases, for the reception of such a library. The Lindley Library is 

 largely composed of books of interest only to the student of scien- 

 tific botany, and some provision should be made for making it 

 accessible to all who would profitably use its volumes. It may very 

 well be questioned whether a new special botanical library and 

 reading-room is required at all — more particularly an incomplete 

 one such as this must be, without funds to maintain it. There are 

 other ways in which this 1,800?. could be made of more service to 

 science ; but then, perhaps, it would not be of so much service to 

 the Boyal Horticultural Society. 



Raphides in the Lemnacem. — The smallest of known phanero- 

 gamous planets is not very markedly or broadly distinguished from 

 the next species in size : that is, in other words, Wolffia arrhiza is 

 in many respects similar to Lemna minor, and till quite recently 

 escaped attention in this country. Dr. Henry Trimen (as we lately 

 chronicled) has drawn attention to its occurrence, and Mr. 

 Gulliver has now examined specimens, in order to ascertain if the 

 microscopic structure of the tissues of the plants affords any 

 diagnostic characters. He has ascertained that while Wolffia 

 arrhiza is entirely destitute of raphides, Lemna minor abounds 

 with them. This is another very encouraging proof of the value 

 of those researches on raphidian characters at which Mr. Gulliver 

 has so assiduously laboured. 



Series of Diatomacese. — M. Th. Eulenstein, of Stuttgard, who 

 is well known as one of the most active investigators of Diatoinacese, 

 has undertaken the publication of two distinct series of specimens 

 of these plants. One series will consist of authentic and original 

 specimens, and it is intended to facilitate the identification of the 

 numerous species established by foreign authors. The uncertainty 

 of nomenclature which has pervaded all the writings on this subject 

 since the works of Ehrenberg and Kiitzing, is entirely due to a 

 want of accurate knowledge of these specimens, which M. Eulen- 

 stein has spared no pains to obtain for the present purpose. Simul- 



