36 
ON SFH2ERIA QUERCUUM. 
And having reduced all these to the rank of synonyms, he 
proposes to adopt the name of Melogramma f uliginosum, Ellis, to 
represent the olla podrida . 
The process by which this curious consummation has been arrived 
at will be historically interesting, when even Melogramma fuligi- 
nosum is forgotten. It seems that all external features are dis- 
carded as unreliable, and all variations of internal structure ignored. 
The residue constitutes the diagnosis. It is assumed, however, that 
as the external is so exceedingly variable, as undoubtedly it would be 
in the above-named twenty species, the sporidia are to be the crucial 
test, and these being large and elliptical, will be the only real specific 
character in the new M elogramma f uliginosum. It matters not that 
they vary in size and form, that in some they should be obtuse, in 
others rather acute at the extremities, in some hyaline, in others deep 
brown. We are asked to accept this in all faith, and believe, in 
opposition to our prejudiced vision, that Melogramma fuliginosum is 
the type of a new process of species manufacture, by means of which 
any twenty or more so-called species may be rolled into one, provided 
the sporidia are nearly of the same size (colour not provided for in 
the patent). It would serve no useful purpose to enter upon a 
minute analysis of the synonyms quoted above, in order to refute a 
hasty note of this kind. There was probably some ground for 
believing that all the twenty species which are condemned were not 
equally sound, but that is no excuse for rushing to an extreme and 
condemning all to oblivion. Besides, upon what grounds were 
twenty other species excluded which have similar sporidia? surely 
they must have been known to the author. We can only regret that 
Mr. Ellis was so impolitic as to commit his conclusions to print. 
That an aspirant for scientific honour should have done so was 
simply an act of premeditated suicide. 
SPEGAZZINPS DECADES MYCOLOGLE ITALKLE. 
The original proposal of Sig Spegazzini was to supply a limited 
number of small sets of dried specimens of Italian Fungi, as were 
new or rare, and which were not found in sufficient quantity for 
more pretentious exsiccati. For these select and valuable speci- 
mens a high price was demanded, but as the specimens were 
promised to be of a peculiar kind, few and good, this was a question 
of little moment. Six decades have now been issued, and we must 
confess them to be a lamentable satire upon the prospectus. The 
last three decades contain such rare species as Puccinia anemones 
P., Trametes rvbescens Fr., Uromyces Scrophidarice Lasch, 
JEitidium Violce , Sch., Peronospoi a densa D.By., Cystopus cubicus , 
Str , Sphcerotheca Castagnei, Lev., Leptosphoeria acuta , M. and N. 
Mysterium angustatum , A. & S., Acrospermum graminum, Lib., Lo- 
phodermium pinastri, Chev , Hetei osphccria patella, Tode, Sordaria 
coprophila Not. The remaining of the thirty numbers contain eight 
