Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 34 (1896).djvu/192

 170 THOMAS HUGHES BUFFHAM. index of species; the Annals of Botcmy, however, remains in- corrigible ; probably no periodical of equal importance is so pre- posterously indexed (see Journ. Dot. 1894, 272) — it is simply impossible to discover what subjects have been treated unless one reads through the whole, or happens to know the author's name. It can hardly be that the illustrious editors think it improbable that any one will ever want to consult the Annals, but, unless they had entirely omitted any pretence at an index, they could not have made its contents more inaccessible. The Bulletin of the Torrey Club gives a "general index" and a ''generic index"; in the former such useless catch-words as " on," " two," and " genus " are entered; in the latter every mention of a genus is sedulously recorded, but nowhere are the new species indexed. The authors' names appear under " Contributors " in the general index. James Britten. THOMAS HUGHES BUFFHAM. Thomas Hughes Buffham was born on the 24th of December, 1840, at Long Sutton, in Lincolnshire, and was educated at a private school there. After leaving school he took a situation as clerk in an office at Earith, Hunts, and here he made the acquaintance of an elderly gentleman named Wheatley, from whom he acquired a taste for astronomy. Having purchased a telescope, Mr. Buffham now devoted much of his leisure to the study of the stars, making several interesting observations, which have been recorded in the Astronomical Notices, English Mechanic, and else- where. About twenty-six years ago Mr. Buffham removed to London, and entered the office of Messrs. Warren & Co., of New Broad Street, where he soon rose to be chief clerk, and ultimately London agent of the firm. Finding that his health was impaired by the late hours and constant work demanded by the study of astronomy, he was reluctantly compelled to abandon the subject. About this time he made the acquaintance of Mr. W. H. Gilburt, a gentleman much interested in microscopical work, who inspired Mr. Buffham with a love for the microscope equal to that he had formerly had for the telescope. In August, 1881, the two friends and their families were staying at Teignmouth, South Devon, and there they collected material of all sorts for examination with the microscope. Amongst the seaweeds gathered by Mr. Buffham on this occasion was a specimen of Callithaimiiun tetricum with antheridia. On searching the Phycologia Britannica for a de- scription of these organs, Mr. Buffham was astonished to find that only very few of the antheridia of the Floridece are mentioned by Harvey, and he at once determined, if possible, to supply this want in our standard work on British Seaweeds. Aided by the advice of Mr..E. M. Holmes and others, he set to work most industriously. For many years he spent most of his holidays in collecting and studying the marine algae, and even learned Latin, French, and