134 General Notes. [February, 



the year 1880. This consisted of an immense quantity of material, 

 from which the Kew authorities selected suites of specimens. 

 Thus of rice alone " there were about two thousand samples, 

 from the most widely distributed districts of India, and weighing 

 in the aggregate about three tons. Every one of these was care- 

 fully examined and compared, and a series was separated show- 

 ing every type of variation to which Indian rice is subject. The 

 amount of this variation in form, color and texture is almost in- 

 conceivable, and the trouble and expense which must have been 

 involved in the accumulation of the specimens, is amply justified 

 by the clearness with which this fact is now brought out. In 

 form the individual rice-grains vary from elongated to ovoid, in 

 texture from translucent to pearl white opacity, in color from 

 white to pink, brown, mottled, and even black." 



In the Herbarium Dr. M. C. Cooke's services have been 

 secured. He has undertaken the arrangement of the collections 

 of thallophytes, especially of the fungi, " which, owing to the press 

 of work in keeping the Phanerogams and Ferns constantly worked 

 up, have been somewhat neglected." This latter announcement 

 will be received with gratification by the many students of fungi 

 in this country and England. 



A General Index to the Journal of Botany. — James Britten 

 announces a " General Index to the Journal of Botany," from its 

 beginning to the end of Volume xx, to be published at six 

 shillings (about $1.50) per copy, provided that a sufficient number 

 of subscriptions are received. The importance of this index to 

 all botanists, even in casus where complete sets of the Journal 

 are not possessed, is so great that it is to be hoped that many 

 orders will be sent from this country. Orders should be addressed 

 to West, Newman & Co , 54 [ iatton Garden, E. C, London, Eng- 

 land. As Volume xx, will not be completed until the end of 

 the year 1882, the index will not appear for a year or more. 



Bentham on Graminf.i:.— George Bcntham read an important 

 paper on the Graminene before the Linnean Society at its meeting 

 November 3, 1881. He recognizes fourteen tribes which he dis- 

 poses under two sub-orders, or families as follows : 



Botanical Notes.— A fine full-page cut of a b 



/ Ta >r',! II i ,'■'>'. Fii'J ,i tently introdu 

 glish gardens from Brazil, is given in a late nu 



