724 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



50 varieties recorded, S species and 2 varieties are new to Europe, and 

 21 species and I varieties are in addition to these new to Germany. As 

 regards the distribution, the author finds that the rivers are poor in 

 Cyanophyceae and in green algas. Cladophora glomerata is, however, 

 widely distributed. Diatoms are more common in the rivers, especially 

 species which are either in chains or have a common envelope. The 

 richest localit ies are the fish-ponds in the forest region ; here are Desmids 

 in plenty, as also in the peat moors. Finally a comparison is drawn 

 between the flora of this district and that of the Liineberger Heide, 

 which was worked out by Max Schmidt. Among other points of in- 

 terest the author points out that Batrar.hospermvm monili forme occurs 

 in the Weser district only in running brooks, whereas on the Lune- 

 berger Heide it is only found in stagnant water. He also draws atten- 

 tion to the rarity of Bulbochcete in the region he has examined ; the 

 only species which could be named was found in a fish-pond at the 

 Forsthaus Lakenhaus and nowhere else. A register of the species 

 recorded in this list completes the paper. 



Desmids from Victoria.* — A. D. Hardy continues his study of the 

 Desmids of Victoria, and publishes a list of 49 species, as well as some 

 varieties recorded from this district. Three new species and 8 varieties 

 of G. S. West are here described in English, with information regarding 

 the distinguishing characters. A plate, drawn by the author, shows the 

 new forms of Micrasterias. 



G. S. West t describes the three new species and eight new varieties 

 of Desmids mentioned above, collected by A. D. Hardy, of Melbourne. 

 The novelties are mostly plankton forms. The three species are : Pleu- 

 rotcmium mamillatum, Micrasterias Hardyi, and Gosmarium Hardyi. 



Marine Phytoplankton.J — E. Lemmermann publishes his third part 

 of this paper, containing a list of hitherto known marine phytoplankton. 

 He gathers his records from various papers and works not easily acces- 

 sible to many students, and in the case of newly described organisms he 

 gives a short description of his own, drawn from the original diagnoses 

 and figures, as an assistance to workers. He points out that he differs 

 from some authors in his limitation of certain species, as for instance 

 Ceratium tripos, and many of the Peridineee and Flagellatse. However, 

 his views on these points are withheld for the present, as tending to 

 produce confusion in a list such as the one here published. Localities 

 are given if or each species recorded. A list of bibliography includes 

 50 publications by various authors, and is followed by a final note 

 on a very recent paper by C. Lohmann. In that paper the author 

 states that certain species described as Xanthidium are merely crabs' 

 eggs, and that Hexasterias problematica Cleve is also an animal egg. 

 Lohmann divides the Pterospermaceas into 4 genera : Pterosperma 

 Pouchet, Pterocystis Lohmann, Pterosphcera (Joerg.) Lohmann, and 

 I'trrococcus Lohmann. 



* Victorian Naturalist, xxii. (1905) pp. 62-73 (1 pi.)- 



t Journ. of Bot.. xliii. (1905) pp. 252-4. 



% Beih. Bot. Centralbl., xix. (1905) pp. 1-74. 



