IN Nature of May 7, p. 732, Dr. Jules Brunel inquires about the "L. G." who was responsible for the "Precis de l'Histoire de la Botanique", the last of the seventeen volumes of "Le Regne Vegetal", by O. Reveil, and others, Paris, 1870–71. The work in question is not accessible to me ; but I find that, in the catalogue of the Library of the British Museum (Natural History), "L. G." is identified as "L. Gerard". I do not know on what evidence this is based ; I have been unable to trace any botanist of this name who might be the writer of the "Precis". Louis Gerard is too early in date, as he was born in 1733. Dr. Brunel's tentative identification with L. Guerin is perhaps more probable ; but it can hold only if the work is considered to be within the compass of a man who does not seem to have been a botanist. This is possible, as the "Precis" describes itself as "Biographique et Bibliographique". As another alternative—though a speculative one—I should like to suggest Lazare Garreau, who was professor at Lille. He was born at Autun in 1812, and published papers on physiological botany in the decade 1850–60. He was apparently still living when the second edition of Pritzel's "Thesaurus literaturse botanicae" appeared (1872).