which the species are described in simple but accurate English, 

 and which possesses an excellent analytical Glavis. Here the 

 writer of this short notice may remark upon the perfection of Mr. 

 Bentham's descriptive work, manifest not only in its terseness, apt- 

 ness, and precision, but especially in the judicious selection of diagnostic 

 marks, and in the instinctive estimate of probable range in variation 

 which, long experience and innate genius for such work could alone 

 inspire. In 1863 Mr. Bentham published the first volume of the greatest 

 work of the colonial series yet given to the world, the " Flora Austra- 

 liensis," based upon the collections at Kew and Melbourne, the latter 

 annotated and transmitted with noble liberality by our Fellow Sir F. 

 Mueller. This work was completed in seven volumes in 1870. 



In 1863 Mr. Bentham accepted the Presidency of the Linnean 

 Society, which he retained until 1874, working with head and hand 

 as no President ever did before for the welfare of any learned society. 

 His anniversary addresses are, in their way, masterpieces, embracing 

 wide fields and discussing biological questions with a liberality and 

 breadth of view surprising even to his nearest friends. 



While the Australian flora was yet in progress Mr. Bentham, in 

 conjunction with his friend Sir Joseph Hooker, entered upon the 

 crowning work of his life, for which his long experience in systematic 

 work had pre-eminently fitted him, the " Genera Plantarum." This 

 occupied him, with comparatively slight interruption by such serious 

 trifles as the elaboration of the Leguminosae of Brazil for the great 

 Flora of von Martius and the like, until the spring of 1883. No 

 sooner had he completed this great work, the "Genera Plantarum," 

 than it seemed as though he felt that his life's work had been accom- 

 plished. His strength rather suddenly gave way, his daily visits to 

 Kew became intermittent, ceasing at last in April, 1884, and gradually 

 becoming feebler he sank to rest, dying simply of old age, with his 

 mental faculties bright nearly to the last, on the 10th September, 

 1884, within a fortnight of his 84th birthday. 



With Mr. Bentham we lose a master in Systematic Botany. The 

 excellent and interesting biographical notice of him in "Nature" 

 by his most intimate friend Sir .Joseph Hooker, of which the present 

 writer 'has made free use, says "there is not a temperate or 

 tropical region of the globe whose floras have not been largely 

 elucidated by him. It may safely be affirmed that for variety and 

 extent of good work of the kind he had no superior. The distinctive 

 qualities of his descriptions are — scientific accuracy, good arrange- 

 ment, precision of language, lucidity, and the discarding of what is 

 superfluous. In these respects he has had no superior since the days 

 of Linnaeus and Robert Brown." And, again, " of his amiable dis- 

 position, and his sterling qualities of head and heart, it is impossible 

 to speak too highly; though cold in manner and excessively shy in 



