son^e author citation at the end of every combination of 

 genus and species. The time is not yet when such com- 

 binations may appear without author citation of any kind, 

 except in the cases of our most familiar plants, but that 

 the day will some time arrive can scarcely be doubted. 

 If we ever get that " stable nomenclature " so much 

 talked of and so little practiced, there will be no need 

 for appending the name of any authority. Meanwhile it 

 seems to me, we have arrived at a point where we may 

 well dispense with the second of the two author citations. 



Two very good illustrations of the evils that may come 

 from retaining both citations have recently come to hand. 

 The first is Christensen's " Index Filicum," in which 

 owing to the arrangement of many species under new 

 generic names, hundreds of new combinations are made. 

 After each of these we find " C. Chr. Ind." and the num- 

 ber of the page upon which the particular name is 

 printed. Does anybody believe that the printing of a 

 mere list of species is sufficient to entitle an author to 

 attach his name to say even one-tenth of the ferns in 

 the world? Is it not perfectly plain that if one can se 

 cure immortality in this way, one may easily stretch a 

 point or two to attain it, especially when there are no 

 hard and fast lines for species making among the ferns? 



The second instance is found in Lyon's proposed new 

 generic name for the ternate species of Botrychium. On 

 account of certain differences in the structure of the 

 gametophyte or prothallium and the behavior of the 

 young sporophyte, the name Sceptridium is proposed. At 

 once the familiar names at the end of the Botrychium 

 combinations vanish and those who thought the}" had 

 their .hold on the genus Botrychium cinched find them- 

 selves shut up in parentheses while a Lyon stands guard 

 over two dozen grape fern specific names. This game of 

 tag need not stop here, however. We all know, whether 

 we will admit it or not. that many of the so-called 

 "species" of grape ferns are nothing but varieties, and 

 since Sceptridium Calif oruicum (LTiderw.) Lyon is 



