RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 219 



flora of the paths and of the wood margins form well denned 

 assemblages which supply the greater part of the species char- 

 acterising the coppiced areas. These latter show a higher 

 acidity than the uncut wood, and there is a marked diminution 

 in the humus content of the soil of such areas. 



In general the flora, which comprises some 269 phanerogams 

 and Ferns, and about 130 cryptogams exclusive of Fungi, is 

 essentially calcifuge in character. 



W. H. Pearsall {ibid.) describes the Marsh and Fen Vege- 

 tation of Esthwaite Water and deals with the classification of 

 Aquatic Plant communities. 



The structure and development of the Plant Association 

 is discussed by H. A. Gleason (Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, October 

 1917). 



In a paper on the Floras of Eastern and Western Newfound- 

 land (Amer. Journ. Bot.) M. L. Fernald lays emphasis on the 

 fact that Newfoundland comprises a calcareous western 

 region north of Bay St. George and the North Peninsula, 

 whilst the central tundra, the south-eastern and south-western 

 areas, are essentially siliceous and acid. The west is warm, 

 sunny and fertile, yet has a flora of arctic facies, whilst that 

 of the colder areas is more southern. The soil differences 

 appear then to be more important than the climatic ones. 



Taxonomy. — The Journal of Botany (for May) contains de- 

 scriptions of new species of Gouldia, Timonius, and Psychotria 

 by Dr. Wernham, of Palinurus and Calimintha by Mr. Wilmott, 

 and of Sedum by Mr. Lloyd Praeger. In the June number 

 Mr. Baker describes new species of Sauranja and the following 

 month Mr. Spencer Moore gives diagnoses of additions to 

 the following genera : Gutenbergia, Erlangea, Vernonia and 

 Jatropha. 



Prof. Bower (Journ. Linn. Soc. May) in the Hooper Lecture 

 delivered last year, deals with the natural classification of 

 plants, as exemplified in the Filicales. 



An elaborate study of the species Lupinus densiflorus is 

 contributed by C. P. Smith (Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, May) in which 

 the author distinguishes twenty-six varieties, most of them 

 new. 



Prof. West has described and figured a new British species 

 of Gongrosira (Journ. Roy. Micr. Soc. March 191 8) under the 

 name of G. Scourfieldii. 



