clxxx GENERAL SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND 



Termo loses its germinating power by boiling, while Bacillus subtilis 

 does not. Dr. Koch, in the Beitrdge zur Biologie, also gives an account 

 of the discovery of spores in Bacillus anthracis, a bacterial form found 

 in inflammation of the spleen. Among the more interesting sjDecies of 

 bacteria studied during the year is Bacterium rubescens^ formerly con- 

 sidered an alga, and called Oryptococcus roseus. Attention was first 

 called to this species in the Quarterly Journal of Microscojncal Science 

 by Professor Lankaster, and more recently Colin has written on the 

 subject. These two writers do not agree as to the presence of cilia 

 in certain conditions of this species. Observers of bacteria have 

 often been troubled by the admixture of different species in the 

 same fluid. To obviate this difiiculty, Dr. Salowonsen, of Copenha- 

 gen, places his nourishing fluid in capillary tubes. If difterent 

 species are produced they will appear in difierent parts of the tube, 

 which can be broken at any desired point and a drop of fluid ob- 

 tained. 



DISTRIBUTION AND VARIATION OF PLANTS. 



In an interesting article in the Annales des Sciences^ M. Charles 

 Contejean shows the important influence which the chemical nature 

 of the soil exercises on plants. He finds that jjlants may be divided 

 into well-marked groups, according as they are affected by differ- 

 ent chemical ingredients of the soil. He distinguishes two floras 

 a maritime, including plants which require salt, and terrestrial, 

 which can not endure a soil containing salt. The terrestrial flora is 

 divided into calcicoles, or plants requiring a calcareous soil ; calcifu- 

 ges, W'hich avoid it ; and indifferent plants, which are neutral toward 

 it. Each of these four divisions is subdivided into xerophiles, 

 plants preferring dryness, and hygrophiles, preferring a damp soil. 

 M. Naudin, in an article on disordered variation of hybrid plants, 

 mentions the case of a hybrid of Lactuca virosa, and a variety of the 

 common lettuce. This hybrid did not show any tendency to vary, 

 and M. Naudin maintains that a hybrid is nothing but a sort of liv- 

 ing mosaic, each portion of which is reclaimed by the parent species. 



NECROLOGY. 



Leopold Fuckel died at Vienna, May 8th, while returning from a 

 journey to Italy. He was for many years an apothecary at Oestrich, 

 on the Rhine, and is known for his mycological writings, and his 

 published collection of fungi, entitled " Fungi Rhenani." 



Adolphe Brongniart died at Paris, February 18th. He was bom 

 January 11th, 1801, and in 1834 was chosen member of the Academy. 

 He w^as the first fossil botanist of his time, and was employed upon 

 an extensive work on fossil plants at the time of his death. 



