01.05.2013 Views

pdf 31 MB - BSBI Archive

pdf 31 MB - BSBI Archive

pdf 31 MB - BSBI Archive

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

PLANTS DESCRIBED BY ARDUINO. 293<br />

nature, but we cannot help tlunkiiig that those who took this view<br />

knew but httle of him : to us he appeared to be a man of a<br />

particularly hospitable and sociable disposition, and the ready flow<br />

of humorously-told anecdotes of his experiences during his botanical<br />

expeditions did not suggest a silent man. He was very fond of<br />

children and young people, and often referred, in his letters, to<br />

being assisted in collecting by young friends. The death of one of<br />

these. Miss Minnie Cocking, seems to have much affected him, for<br />

in a letter to Mr. Broome he wrote ;— " It has been a sad Christmas<br />

for me. I do not know whether you remember my speaking to two<br />

young girls one day in the library. One of them took fever, and today<br />

was buried. I was very fond of her— she was such a dear,<br />

merry, affectionate little creature, and as good as she was pleasing.<br />

I knew her from an infant, and few days passed without seeing her."<br />

Although particularly simple and unaffected in manner, there was<br />

a rare dignity about the man that could not fail to impress all<br />

with whom he came in contact.<br />

Mr. Ralfs bequeathed his collections of microscopic plants to the<br />

Botanical Department of the British Museum, but his will was not<br />

witnessed, and had consequently no legal force. His son has, how-<br />

ever, in consideration of his father's wishes, generously resolved to<br />

place the collection in the British Museum.<br />

The portrait which we reproduce is from an excellent photograph<br />

taken some eight years ago by Mr. R. H. Preston, of Penzance.<br />

For the biographical information we are largely indebted to our<br />

friend Mr. E. D. Marquaud, who lived for some years at Penzance,<br />

and wliose genial companionship did much to brigliten the later<br />

years of Mr. Ralfs's life. We are also indebted to Mr. Ralfs's son,<br />

Mr. J. H. Ralfs, of Liverpool, and to Miss NichoUs and Mr. Henwood<br />

Teague, of Penzance.<br />

H. & J. Groves.<br />

PLANTS DESCRIBED BY ARDUINO (1759—1768).<br />

By F. N. Williams, F.L.S.<br />

In tracing back the early history of some of the Cart/nphi/llett,<br />

I was led to inquire into the identity of Arduino's species, and the<br />

priority of his names; the result of this inquiry is embodied in the<br />

present paper. Among the few important botanical works published<br />

between the second edition of Linnaeus' ' Flora Suecica' (1755) and<br />

the second edition of the 'Species Plantarum' (17G2) was the first<br />

instalment of Peter Arduino's ' Animadversionum Botanicarum<br />

Specimen,' which was published at Padua in 1759. This littleknown<br />

book (in which the smooth latinity of the autlior's style is in<br />

pleasing contrast with the angular pseudo-classicism of some contemporary<br />

works) contains descriptions, accompanied with excellent<br />

figures, of twelve species. The binomial nomenclature is not<br />

adopted, but each plant is cited under its generic name, followed by<br />

a specific phrase. The following list gives the names of the species<br />

with which these plants are now identified :

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!