Baker MSS."-although not unknown, is unusual and undesirable: and such a name as this, taken at random, leaves us in doubt whether this plant has actually been described before, although Mr. Sim cites the name from two lists.

There are interesting facts scattered up and down the pages, such as the occurrence of the New Zealand and Australian Pteris tremula at Natal as an escape from cultivation. The book is well printed, although misprints are somewhat frequent: and Mr. Sim has evidently known how to utilise the opportunities which he possesses as Curator of the Botanic Gardens at King William's Town.

Le Thé. Botanique et Culture, Falsifications et richesse en Caféine des différentes espèces. Par ANTOINE BRÉTRIX. Avec 27 figures. Paris: J. B. Baillière et Fils. 1892.

THE culture, preparation, and commercial aspects of the Teaplant have had so many exponents that it would appear almost impossible that another book on the subject could find readers; but the little work of some 156 pages now before us is sufficiently distinct in its character and treatment of the matter it deals with from those that have gone before to guarantee a circulation amongst many who want to know something more than the popular and commercial aspect of the question. No book treating of such an important product as tea would possibly be considered complete without a botanical description of the plant, culture, preparation, and so on; hence we find that the first chapter is devoted to the botany of the tea-plant, the next on culture, the third on the preparation of green and black teas, &c., followed by others on their physiological and medicinal action, the microscopical study of the leaves of the true tea-plant, and of those used as adulterations. Though it is possible that the leaves of the plants mentioned in this chapter have been detected in tea, it is to be hoped that in these days, when its cultivation has so widely extended and the sources of supply so much increased, oak, ash, beech and willow leaves do not form a part of our commercial tea. This, and the succeeding chapters on the chemistry of the tea plant are the most striking and original portions of the book, and the portions for which it will probably commend itself. J. R. J.

Bot. Centralblatt. (Nos. 18, 19). V. von Borbás, Euphrasia transiens Borb., sp. n. (No. 22). J. G. O. Tepper, Flora of Roebuck Bay, N.W. Australia.'

Bot. Gazette (March 20).-J. E. Humphrey, Monilia fructigena' (1 plate).-H. L. Russell, Non-parasitic Bacteria in Vegetable Tissue.' F. B. Maxwell, Comparative Study of Roots of Ranunculacea' (3 plates).-J. H. Newell, Flowers of Horse-chestnut.'— Memoir of Francis Wolle (1817-93). A. S. Hitchcock, Hybrid

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Oak' (1 plate). — (April 15). R. Thaxter, Phallogaster saccatus' (1 plate).-E. M. Fisher, 'The genus Casalpinia.'-D. T. MacDougal, Tendrils of Passiflora cærulea' (1 plate). C. MacMillan, Limitation of the term "spore." - M. E. Meads, Variation in Erythronium' (1 plate). F. H. Knowlton, New fossil Chara' (C. Stantoni).

Bot. Magazine (Tokio).-(Mar. 10). R. Yatabe, Tricyrtis nana, sp. n.

Bot. Notiser (häft. 3).-J. R. Jungner, Om regnblad, daggblad, och snöblad' (1 plate).-A. Y. Grevillius, Om vegetations forhållandena på de genom sänkningarne åren 1882 och 1886 nybildade skaren i Hjelmaren.' H. Hedström, Om hasselns forntida utbredning i Sverige.' - S. Murbeck, Pulmonaria angustifolia L. x officinalis L. obscura Dumort. (P. notha Kern.).'-H. W. Arnell, Om släktnamnet Porella.'-O. Vesterlund, Vaxtnamn på folkspråket.'

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Bot. Zeitung (pt. 5: May 16). G. Hieronymus, Ueber die Organisation der Phycochromaceenzellen.' H. Solms-Laubach, 'Ueber die Beobachtungen, die Herr G. Eisen zu San Francisco an den Smyrnafeigen gemacht hat.' J. C. Koningsberger, Eine anatomische Eigenthümlichkeit einiger Rheum-Arten.'

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Bulletin de l'Herbier Boissier (No. 4).-J. Briquet, Les Méthodes Statistiques applicables aux recherches de floristique' (1 plate).F. Crépin, Roses recueillies en Anatolie et dans l'Arménie Turque.' -H. Solereder, Ein Beitrag zur anatomischen Charakteristik und der Systematik der Rubiaceen.' R. Chodat & O. Malinesco, 'Polymorphisme du Scenedesmus acutus' (1 plate). R. Chodat & C. Roulet, Le genre Hewittia.' - R. Chodat et C. Rodrigue, ‘Le tégument séminal des Polygalacées.' H. Christ, Notice biographique sur Alphonse DeCandolle.' J. Müller, Lichenes Chinenses Henryani.' (No. 5). N. Alboff, Contributions à la Flore de la Transcaucasie.' - R. Buser, Notice biographique sur Louis Favrat' (1827-93).—B. D. Jackson, Bibliographical Notes.' -N. Patouillard, Quelques Champignons asiatiques.'-J. Müller, 'Lichenes Scottiani.'

Bull. Soc. Bot. France (xxxix., Comptes rendus, 6: (May 1).G. Gandoger, Marillea Urvillei.' E. Heckel, Sexualité du Ceratonia Siliqua.' E. Roze, Fécondation du Najas major et du Ceratophyllum demersum.' G. Bonnier, Renflement moteur des Sensitives.' W. Russell, 'Pistille bi-carpellé de Haricot.' — E. Prillieux, Intumescences des feuilles d'Eillets malades.' -. Hue, Lichens des Grèves de la Moselle.' E. Mer, La défoliation des branches basses d'Epicea.' – - L. Guignard, 'Du tégument séminale chez les Crucifères.' D. Clos, Questions d'orthographe et de priorité.'- G. Bonnier, Sur la pression transmise à travers les tiges.' - P. Fliche, Vaccinium Myrtillus var. leucocarpum.'

Bull. Torrey Bot. Club (April).-N. L. Britton, Rusby's S. American Plants (contd).D. H. Campbell, Development of

Sporocarp of Pilularia americana (1 pl.). H. W. Conn, Free Nitrogen Assimilation by Plants.' A. F. Foerste, Casting-off of Tips of Branches' (2 plates).-A. Hollick, New Fossil Palm from Long Island' (Serenopsis, gen. nov. 1 plate).

Erythea (May).-T. Howell, New Plants of the Pacific Coast.' -M. A. Howe, Two Californian Cryptogams.' E. L. Greene, Corrections in Nomenclature.'-H. Baillon, On Generic Nomenclature.'

Gardeners' Chronicle (Ap. 29).— Galanthus Ikaria Baker, Fritillaria Whittallii Baker, Scilla leucophylla Baker, spp. nn. - (May 6). Tulipa concinna Baker, Eucharis Lowii Baker, Fritillaria citrina Baker, spp. nn. (May 13). Scilla Buchanani Baker, Richardia Lutwychei N. E. Br., spp. nn.

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Journal de Botanique (May 1, 16). E. Bonnet, Plantes de Tunisie.' E. Bescherelle, Hepatiques de Guadeloupe et Martinique.' (May 1). P. Vuillemin, Sur les affinités des Basidiomycètes.' (May 16). G. de Lagerheim, Sur une Cypéracée entomophile' (Dichronema ciliata Vahl.).

Journ. Linn. Soc. (xxix., No. 201: May 15). C. T. Druery, 'An Aposporous Lastrea' (1 plate). G. Gammie, Sikkim TreeFerns. G. Henslow, Theoretical Origin of Endogens from Exogens.-A. Lister, Division of Nuclei in Mycetozoa' (2 plates).

Oesterr. Bot. Zeieschrift. (May). — V. Schiffner, Morphologie und systematische Stellung von Metzgeriopsis pusilla' (1 plate).H. Zukal, Mykologische Mittheilungen.'-A. Nestler, Eigenthümlichkeiten im anatomischen Bau der Laubblätter einiger Ranunculaceen.' L. Adamovic, Neue Beiträge zur Flora von Südostserbien.' Zimmeter, Aquilegia Einseleana & A. thalictrifolia.'J. Murr, Zur Flora von Nordtirol.'

BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, &c.

THE most interesting feature of the Annual Meeting of the Linnean Society on May 24th was the presentation of the Society's Gold Medal to Professor Daniel Oliver, F.R.S. On handing Prof. Oliver the medal, the President, Prof. Stewart, made the following speech:-"On handing you the Gold Medal of the Linnean Society, it is my pleasing duty to recall to the memory of the Fellows present, though only shortly and imperfectly, some of the more interesting and important of your labours in Botany;-those more particularly which have induced the Society to confer this Medal upon you. First I would call attention to the very wide character of your botanical work. In 1850 you discovered, in Connemara, Naias flexilis, a genus new to the British Flora. In 1859 you published, in our Transactions, a paper on the structure of the stem in Caryophyllea and Plumbaginea, illustrated with plates drawn by yourself; and in 1862 you contributed to the Natural History Review

a memoir on the structure of the stem in Dicotyledons, with a critical bibliography of the subject. Then, in your series of eighteen papers in the Journal and six in the Transactions of this Society, you turned to Systematic, Morphological, and Geographical Botany. These papers relate to all branches of Phanerogams; there are several illustrating the flora of Tropical Africa, including the whole of the 29th vol. of our Transactions, with its 136 plates; and you paid detailed attention to the Loranthacea, the Utriculariea, the Hamamelidea, and the Olacinea, your artistic talents enabling you to illustrate beautifully and accurately these memoirs. The second point I would mention is the high excellence of this work. The investigations of more recent workers have confirmed, almost without exception, the accuracy of your observations and conclusions regarding the new genera and species established in these memoirs and elsewhere, notably in the Icones Plantarum, which you have now edited for three years wholly yourself. Thus also, in 1862, when geologists were discussing the Atlantis hypothesis, you showed in your paper in the Natural History Review that the botanical evidence was against that hypothesis, but that a close connection existed between the Flora of Tertiary Central Europe and the existing Floras of Japan and the United States. The subsequent progress of geological discoveries has proved the soundness of the views advanced in your contribution to the controversy thirty years ago. The third point-and I desire to impress this on the members of the Society-is that much of your work is as yet unpublished; it is enshrined in the Kew Herbarium, where it has contributed largely to Bentham & Hooker's Genera Plantarum, and to numerous memoirs which have been prepared wholly or in part at Kew. The last point I need touch upon is your educational work. Your Lessons in Botany is the most useful elementary book we have; your Illustrations of the Natural Orders and your Guides to the Museum and Gardens at Kew have been eminently useful in spreading among the people an interest in Botany, and have led many to further study. As Professor of Botany for thirty years in University College, London, you have trained many pupils, now highly distinguished-not least among these being your successor in the Professorial chair. With every good wish, I hand you the Gold Medal of the Society."

"THE Russian Thistle" is the name by which Salsola Kali var. Tragus is known in America, although it is there sometimes known still more inappositely as "Russian Cactus." "It is one of the worst weeds ever introduced into the wheat-fields of America": and Mr. L. H. Dewey has just issued (U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletin, No. 10) a pamphlet dealing exhaustively with the pest, pointing out clearly and simply its modes of distribution. and the conditions affecting its growth, and suggesting remedies. for its extermination. "Place a Russian thistle in each schoolhouse," runs one of the "recommendations,' "so that the pupils may become familiar with it, and teach them to kill it wherever they find it as they would kill a rattlesnake." Two plates accompany the report.

ANOTHER of the older generation of English botanists has passed away in the person of Mr. THOMAS WESTCOMBE, who died on May 9th at his residence, Britannia Square, Worcester, at the age of seventyeight. Of a very retiring and modest disposition, and nearly confined to his house for some years by ill-health, he was probably known to but few of our younger botanists. But few of those who knew him in his vigour, and none of those who were privileged to join him in botanical excursions, will forget the indomitable energy, apparently incapable of fatigue, with which he followed his favourite pursuit, notwithstanding, or perhaps rather assisted by, his spare and emaciated form, and the extreme abstemiousness of his habits. The present writer has still a lively recollection of the tax on his endurance involved in such an excursion which he, then in his teens, undertook with Mr. Westcombe some forty years ago, in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, in search of such rarities as Spiranthes æstivalis, Calamintha sylvatica, Leersia oryzoides, and Polypogon littoralis. Mr. Westcombe was of that Quaker community which has produced such naturalists as Prof. Oliver, Mr. J. G. Baker, and the two Bradys. He lived a bachelor life with three unmarried sisters; and his great delight, in the days when he was past active work, was his garden of wild flowers and his greenhouses.-A. W. B.

THE Kew Bulletin has begun to appear again, a double number, for February and March, having made its appearance towards the end of May. Mr. Rolfe describes some new Orchids, but there is nothing else of botanical interest in the number. It is to be regretted that publications in which new species are described should be dated in a manner so calculated to mislead.

MR. E. M. HOLMES contributed some "Suggested Emendations in Botanical Terminology" to the Botanical Congress at Genoa last year, which have been printed in its Atti. He wishes to "render more uniform the terminology in use for cohorts, natural orders, suborders, tribes," and "to discriminate in print between specific names derived from vernacular names, proper names, and old generic names." "All vernacular names should be preceded and followed by an inverted comma, thus-Diospyros Kaki'": "the name of an old genus when used as a specific name should be written in italics, and spelt with a capital letter, thus-Rhamnus Frangula." We do not imagine that these proposals will meet with much acceptance among botanists, nor can we see that any benefit could arise from their adoption.

THE Westminster Gazette of May 25th has an amusing account of the Royal Horticultural Society's great show held on that day. After referring to "our dainty friend the Iaxia verdiflora," and to "gentians and all the rest of the fragrant things," the writer says: "Mr. Sander's orchids fill the centre of this tent. He has one new flower. This only ewe lamb' is the Ari saema fimbriata. We have seen plenty of better orchids, but in orchids quaintness counts for more than beauty, and the Ari saema, &c., is not devoid of that."