458 SOME NEW BOOKS [deoember 



in an interesting itinerary the plants that came under observation. The wealth 

 of mosses and lichens is noticed, and at Dawson city the prevalence of the 

 Ericaceae and the scarcity of Compositae — -features common to sub-alpine and 

 sub-arctic situations. 



A paper by L. H. Pammel, "Some Ecological Notes on the Muscatine 

 Flora," is a study in' hydrophytes, mesophytes, and xerophytes found in certain 

 zones. A continued paper by Mrs. C. A. Creevey, " Plant Juices and their 

 Commercial Values," gives a popular account of methods of extracting 

 juices from plants in various parts of the world, and the physiological effects 

 following the drinking of these juices. 



In Nature Notes for November, Mr. A. E. Martin discusses editors and 

 annotators of Gilbert White's " Selborne," Mr. F. Coleman discourses on birds 

 and insects as meteorologists, Messrs. C. B. and C. T. Plowright describe 

 Broadland in winter-time, and the Rev. George Henslow gives, for the benefit of 

 young botanists, a beautifully clear statement of the evolutionist view of the 

 origin of species. Naturally, he does not refrain from giving his own inter- 

 pretation of the factors — the power to vary is called into action by new 

 conditions, and the organs change in conformity or adaptation to these. 



The Westminster Review for November, which we have received, is full of 

 interesting matter, but the only article directly touching biological questions is 

 a continued criticism of the Contagious Diseases Acts. 



In the American Journal of Science, No. 44, vol. viii. August 1899, one 

 paper is of interest to the biologist, namely, " Studies in the Cyperaceae," 

 by Theo. Holm, and " On the abnormal development of some specimens of 

 Car ex stipata, Muhl., caused by Livia vernal is, Fitch " (with seven figures 

 in the text drawn from nature by the author). 



The diseased condition in question shows itself in the hypertrophied leaves, 

 which become white, except at the tips, while they are flat from base to apex, 

 and are devoid of the usual sheath. The larvae of the parasite were located on 

 the upper surface of the leaves, and although the parasitism was purely 

 superficial from its beginning to end, yet it resulted in the almost complete 

 non-development of stomata, chlorophyll, lignin, and the partial non-absorption 

 of silica. What sort of insect Livia remalis is may be found in works on 

 entomology — at least one would expect so, — for no light is thrown upon it in 

 the article. Can any one suggest what advantage the author finds in using : 

 mestome-bundle for fibro-vascular bundle, mestome-sheath for bundle-sheath, 

 bark-parenchyma for cortex-parenchyma, perihadromatic bundle for — what 1 

 pericambium for pericycle, protohadrome for protoxylem, leptome for phloem 1 



There is no need of bundle after mestome, which is equivalent to the whole 

 term, fibro-vascular bundle. In roots one speaks of cortex-parenchyma, not 

 bark-parenckyma. It is years since pericambium was given up for the better 

 term, pericycle, because the form was apt to be confused with cambium. 



We have just received from Dr. L. Bordas, Chef des Travaux Zoologiques in 

 the Faculty of Science at Nancy, a paper from the fifth volume of the Annales 

 du Musee d'Histoire Naturelle de Marseille, in which he shows, as we had 

 previously occasion to note in " Fresh Facts," that the respiratory trees of 

 Holothuroids have four functions — respiratory, hydrostatic, plastidogenetic, and 

 excretory. 



We have received the first part of Volume III. of the Transactions and Pro- 

 ceedings of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science, which contains the 

 following papers : — " List of the Rhynchota of Perthshire," by T. M. M'Gregor 

 and G. W. Kirkaldy ; "The Flora of Durdie and Arnbathie," by James 

 Menzies ; " The Feathered Tenants of our Dwellings," by Lieut.-Col. W. .H. M. 

 Duthie ; " On the Protection of Wild Birds in Perthshire," by Col. Campbell ; 



