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extensively for the press. He took up fern-study as a 

 recreation, and carrying into it the same thoroughness 

 that characterized his other work, soon became an autho- 

 rity in the subject. He made many expeditions in search 

 of ferns and described numerous species and varieties. 

 It is to his painstaking work that we owe the excellent 

 monographs on the varieties of Asplenium Mix-foeinina 

 arid Polypodium vvdgare in America. Mr. Gilbert was a 

 pleasant and agreeable companion and made friends 

 wherever he was known. He will be greatly missed by 

 the readers of this magazine, but by no one more than 

 the editor. Mr. Gilbert was for a time president of the 

 American Fern Society and a more extended notice will 

 appear in the Annual Report. 



* 



Some years ago the little gray polypody (P. incanum) 

 was threatened with a change of name, and in fact a few 

 fern students did adopt the specific name of polypodi- 

 oides. Now the same species is threatened from another 

 quarter. Ivar Tidestrom suggests that the generic name 

 of Marginaria be taken up, and Marginaria polypodioides 

 it is likely to become in future. Not so many years ago 

 the genus Polypodium had quite a respectable showing 

 in the United States, but its ranks have been sadly de- 

 pleted by the defection of Phlebodinm, Campyloneuron, 

 Phymatodes and Marginaria. It would not be surpris- 

 ing if somebody figured out a way of getting Eupoly- 

 p odium out of the genus. 



BOOK NEWS. 



We have to thank Dr. E. Rosenstock of Gotha, Ger- 

 many, for a reprint from Hcdzvigia of his paper on the 

 ferns of Southern Brazil. The paper covers upward of 

 100 pages and includes descriptions of a large number 

 of new species as well as notes on the other ferns and 

 fern allies of the region. The nomenclature is that of 



