281 
- It ean hardly be doubted that one cause of the want of attention which - 
systematic botany now receives is the repulsive labour ‘of the biblio- 
Kewensis, which was prepared at Kew, and which we owe to the 
munificence of Mr. Darwin. In his own studies he y came on 
the track of names which he was unable’ to run down’ to their source. 
This the Zndex enables to be done. It is nrg in fact, on a manuscript 
index which we compiled for our own use t Kew. But it isa mistake 
to suppose that it is auything more than p name signifies, or that it 
expresses any opinion as to the validity of the names themselves. at 
hose who use the book must judge of for themselves. We have 
indexed existing names, but we have not ad to the burden by 
making any new ones for species already described. 
t synonymy has now come to may be judged by an example 
supplied me by my friend Mr. C. B. Clarke. For a single species of 
Fimbristylis he finds 135 published names under six genera. If we go 
on in this way we shall ve to invent a new Linnzus, wipe out the 
past, and begin all over ag 
Although I have br coda ts matter before the Section it is not one 
in which ‘this, or indeed any collective assembly of botanists, can do 
very much. While I hope I shall carry your sae with the general 
principles I have laid down, it must be admitted that the technical 
details can only be appreciated by iine o i eene All that can 
be hoped is a general agreement amongst t he staffs of the principal 
institutions in different countries where systematic botany is Worked-siet $ 
the free-lances must be left to do as they like. 
CCCCLXXXIV.—_ NEW ORCHIDS.—DECADE 15. 
141. Den curviflorum, Jo/fe; caule erecto brevi, foliis 
equitantibus la aaee subacutis carnosis, floribus axillaribus solitariis; 
acteis ovatis subobtusis fasciculatis, sepalo- postico ovato-ob ongo 
obtuso lateralibus similibus-basi in mentum curvum obtusum longe 
extensis, petalis lineari-oblongis obtusis, labello obovato-cuneato retuso, 
disco levi, columna brevissima pede longo incurvo. 
Has.— Himalaya mountains, and probably Sikkim. bin 
Caulis nd hs longus. Folia Ta poll. longa, 3 lin. lata. “song ec 
1-1} lin. lon Pedicelli 7-8 lin. longi. | um 5jlin. 
x ngum, lateralia 1 Į x . lon Labellun 1 p- 
longum. Columna 1 n t Montu 9 lin, longum, 
A member of a section Aporum with deeds large flowers, buie 
as much as 12 inches long, white with x z ais pink suffusion on the back 
of the sepals, ux a yellow line down the centre of the lip terminating 
ina deeper blotch in front, It first Howie with Mr. James O’Brien 
in October 1892. 
142. Cirrhopetalum compac Rolfe; cxspitosum, pseudobulbis 
ovoideis iL ge toli elliptico-oblongis obtusis carnosis sessilibus, 
seapis gracilibus ifloris, oribus subumbellatis nutantibus, bracteis 
lineari-lanceolatis deceit atta s, sepalo postico oblongo-lanceolato acuto 
