the section " in Di cotyledonis ligno- 
ry little from the reflection that its spe- 
cific name begins with "J." 
The Alg^ Fungi and Lichens.— Many who no longer hold the 
idea of the autonomy of the groups Fungi, Algae, and Lichens, 
nevertheless persist in keeping them separate in the herbarium. 
This, too, is done on the plea of convenience, as they are usually 
studied by different students. Letting alone the question of whether 
it would not be better for the mycologist to think more about Algae, 
I believe that an herbarium where all plants are arranged according 
to a natural system without regard to anything else is perfectly con- 
venient for reference, as long as the families are clearly indicated on 
the cases. If this is so, the natural arrangement is clearly prefer- 
able. For these are not mere questions of convenience. In the case 
of a classification, if mere convenience of placing specimens in their 
proper genera and species were all that was to be considered, per- 
haps no system would be superior to the celebrated one of Linnaeus 
But this is one of the last things which we demand of a classification. 
The function of a classification is to teach us the relations, the an- 
cestry and thus a part, it may be, of the history of plants. So with 
an herbarium. Its object should be no more to furnish authentic 
specimens for the determination of single species than the higher 
one of teaching us the relations of these species by bringing together 
their names. — Roscoe Pound. 
Saccardo's Great Work on Fungi.— Although Saccardo's 
Sylloge Fungorum has been noticed in the Naturalist from time to 
time upon the appearance of the volumes, it may be of^service to our 
readers to indicate more fully the scope of the great work. The 
intention of the author (Professor P. A. Saccardo of the University 
of Padua) is to publish in one work the descriptions of all the Fungi 
now known in all parts of the world. Such an undertaking involves 
as all will admit, an immense amount of labor, and he must have been 
a bold man indeed who willingly entered upon it. As a matter of 
course such a work, intended for the whole world, could be written 
The first volume appeared in 1882, the second in 1883, the third 
in 1884, the fourth in 1886. In the latter year A. N. Berlese and 
P. Volgins brought out a supplementary volume to volumes I to IV, 
in which additions and corrections were made. The fifth volume 
appeared in 1887, and the sixth and seventh in 1888. The eighth 
and concluding volume may be looked for some time during the 
present year. The total number of pages thus far printed is 6898, 
and doubtless the final volume will bring the number up to 7700. 
The system adopted by Saccardo may be learned from the fol 
lowing synopsis: 
