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work, and will look longingly for its completion. The difficulty 
and interest of the task may be understood from the fact that not 
only has there been here for the first time attempted a Flora of 
California, comprising 150,000 or 160,000 square miles, but that for 
this purpose it has been found necessary to work up the whole 
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, and of the ranges adjacent to it on 
the east, from Arizona to Northern Nevada, and of Southern Oregon. 
—2. Hlora of South-western Colorado, by T. 8. Brandegee, Depart. 
Interior, U. 8. Geol. and Geog. Survey of the Territories. After a 
general description of the flora and its distribution, Mr. Brandegee 
gives a list of the plants not included in Porter and Coulter’s 
Catalogue. There are quite a number of new species (several 
Astragali of course) described by Dr. Gray, and Dr. Englemann. 
The list of Musci and Hepaticee by Mr. Rau has appeared in the 
Buiierin, May, 1876, with the exception of a new species here 
described by Mr. Austin, Dicranum (Campylopus) Rauei. We 
notice that Weisia here as in our list is spelled Weissia. We be- 
lieve, as Mr. Rau has pointed out to us, that one s is the proper 
form.—3. Notes on Agave, by Dr. Geo. Engelmann, from Trans. 
Acad, Sci., St. Louis, Vol. III., Dec. 1875, with fine photographs of 
A. Shawii, a new species, and “one of the most striking and 
beautiful.” Sixteen species are described, all but three found in 
the United States, and six or seven new to science. There are 
others in Mexico and, perhaps, a few in the West Indies and South 
America, Those who have the opportunity to observe the various 
stages of the flowers.of species of Agave, should communicate with 
Dr. Engelmann, as there are several points that need elucidation, 
the hour when the anthers shed their pollen, the expansion of the 
stigmas, secretion of honey, ete. Agave Virginica seems to be the 
only one that he has had the opportunity of observing on these 
points.—4. The American Journal for July, among its botanical 
notes, has an interesting account by Dr. Gray of Heteromorphism 
in Epigewa. Fruit is seldom met with. 9There are four kinds of 
flower ; the first, with long style and perfect stigma, the second, 
with perfect stigma likewise, but shorter style. From the first — 
came the fruiting specimens. received. Both have more or less 
abortive anthers lower than the stigmas. These two forms 
amounted together to less than 20 per cent. of a large number of 
specimens from one locality in Maine. In the third form, with 
longer style like No. 1, but imperfect stigma, the anthers abound 
with pollen and are dehiscent at or a little before the opening of 
the corolla. The fourth has a shorter style with the imperfect 
stigma as low as the base of the five longer anthers. Otherwise as 
in No. 3. “ The flowers of Epigza may therefore be classified into 
two kinds, each with two modifications; the two main kinds 
characterized by the nature and perfection of the stigma, along 
with more or less abortion of the stamens; their modifications, by 
the length of the style. The first is leading to dioicism, the second 
points to dimorphism,”—a singular fact among Ericacex, which 
usually secure intercrossing by dichogamy, «. e., by developing the 
anthers before or after the stigma; of this Dr. Gray finds no indi- 
