Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 34 (1896).djvu/438

 408 BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. in its more legitimate sphere as an institution which promotes the development of economic botany in our colonies, and indeed through- out the world. It is, however, sometimes urged, and with some show of reason, that the Gardens might be made of greater use in con- nection with horticultural and agricultural experiments. It is only fair, however, to say that the literary side of Kew is not altogether neglected. A paragraph in the daily papers informs us that " the first copy of The Poetry of Kew Gardens, an album of twenty-four reproductions of paintings by M. and Mme. C. A. de I'Aubiniere, with an introduction and short history of the Eoyal Gardens themselves by Mr. W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, O.M.G., F.R.S., the director, has been accepted by the Queen, and Her Majesty has commanded her thanks to be conveyed to the artists for their beautiful work. The process by which the pictures are reproduced is the invention of Count Ostorog, and the album is got up by the Chiswick Press. The originals are to be seen at the North Gallery, Royal Gardens, Kew." A TEMPOKARY exhibition has been made in the Natural History Museum of a selection from the large collection of original drawings preserved in the Department of Botany. The drawings exhibited include examples of the brothers Bauer, Sydenham Edwards, G. D. Ehret, Mrs. Withers, W. H. Fitch, Sidney Parkinson, James Sowerby, J. F. Miller, F. P. Nodder, J. C. Dietzsch, and W. G. Smith. The last (July) part of the Icones Plantarum is somewhat wanting in interest. This may be partly accounted for by the fact that the contributions with which Professor Oliver has for so many years enriched its pages have now entirely ceased, while, so far, the new editor, Dr. Dyer, has not contributed anything to compensate for the great loss which science has sustained by the withdrawal of his learned predecessor from active botanical work. A series of nine plates illustrating the species of Amomum will be useful to those who have to deal with these difficult plants; and the following new genera are described : — Stenolirioyi Baker (Amaryllidiese : Central Africa) ; Garnotiella Stapf (GramineaB, Agrostideae : Philippines) ; Batesanthus N. E. Brown (AsclepiadeaB, Periplocese : Cameroons). We regret to announce the deaths of Mr. F. C. S. Roper, of Eastbourne, and Mr. Thomas Hick, of Owens College, Manchester. We hope to give some account of the deceased botanists in our next issue. Messrs. H. N. Dixon and H. G. Jameson's Student's Handbook of British Mosses has been published, and will be noticed at length in an early number of this Journal. It forms a handsome volume containing nearly 600 pages and 60 plates. The list of ''First Records of British Flowering Plants" will shortly be concluded, and will then be issued in book-form. Any additions or corrections should be forwarded to the author, W. A. Clarke, Esq., F.L.S., 1, Warnborough Road, Oxford, for inclusion in the appendix to the list.