22 



L 



Praeterlti,' by Richard Spruce; and * Plants of Aran Island, Co. Don- 

 egal,' by H, C. Hart. 



' Boianische Zeitung (No. 52) Dec. 25th. ' Researches on the Or- 

 igin of Starch-granules/ (with a plate), by A. W. F. Schimper. 



Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Tome X, Nos. 2 and 3. 'On the In- 

 fluence of the Intensity of Light on the decomposition of Carbonic Acid 

 by Plants/ by A. Farmintzin; 'Researches on the role of Light in 

 Germination,' by A, Pauchon, 



American Naturalist for January. * On the Fertilization of Ca- 

 lamintha Nepeta" by William Trelease; 'Botanizing on the Colorado 

 Desert,' by Edward Lee Greene; 'Method of distinguishing species 

 oi Popiilus and Jiiglans by the young naked branches/ by W. J. 

 Seal. 



Journal of the Microscopical Society^ Dec, 1880. Williams & 

 Norgate, London and Edinburgh, In this bi-monthly of nearly two 

 hundred pages, there is a vast amount of interesting matter, original 

 and selected. We quote an item of the latter: "Contrary to the 

 views of Reess and Darwin, E. Regel finds that the platits {Droserae) 

 thrive best when not treated with animal food/' This may be 

 the tendency of Mr. Higley's experiments recorded in recent num- 

 bers of the Botanical Gazette; yet, with the evidence of our bogs, where 

 one seldom finds a well-developed Drosera without the debris of in- 

 sects on its leaves, it is hard to admit that the plants are not benefitted 

 by their prey. 



Geological Survey of California^ Botany^ Vol. IL — The first 

 volume of this work was issued in 1876, the Polypetalae by W. H. 

 Brewer and Sereno Watson; the Gamopetalae by Asa Gray. The 

 Legislature of California having withdrawn its aid, we are indebted 

 (as Prof, Whitney states in a prefatory note) to S. C. Hastings and 

 other gentlemen of San Francisco for the publication of these two 

 noble volumes. The Flora of the second volume — Apetalous Dico- 

 tyledons to the end of iT/"?/.?^/ and Sphagnaceae — is edited by Sereno 

 Watson. Dr. George Engelmann has elaborated the Oaks, the Pines 

 and their allies and the Loranthaceae\ M, S. Bebb, Esq., has done the 

 same for the Willows; Wm, Boott, Esq., has supplied the portion upon 

 the Carices\ Dr. George Thurber the Grasses, and Prof. Daniel C. 

 Eaton the Ferns and other higher cryptogams. If the publication has 

 necessarily been delayed on this account, the superior character of 

 the work is an ample compensation. The extent of the additions that 

 have been made to our knowledge of the flora of the State during the 

 past four years may be seen by reference to the many papers devoted 

 to them — 62 pages of additions and corrections. There still remains 

 ample opportunity for good botanical work at almost every locality 

 among the mountains, hills and valleys of the State. 



The second volume is provided with analytical tables and a com- 

 plete index to the ten volumes, and with two appendices, numbered 

 I. and IV. Appendix L is a glossary of botanical terms employed, 

 and IV. is a list of persons Avho have made botanical collections in 

 California, by W. H. Brewer. To this is added a supplement, by Mr. 

 Watson, of especial acknowledgment to those w^hose contributions 

 have aided essentially in the preparation of the work, and among these 



