562 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



II. Protective arrangements in the gametophyte : A. Reduction of 

 water output : (1) Cushion-forming habit ; (2) investments of dead or 

 non-chlorophyllous cells ; ( 3) shape of leaf or thallus ; (4) size of leaf- 

 cells ; (5) thickenings of leaf-cells ; (6) stem structure ; (7) arrange- 

 ment of leaves on stem ; (8) capillary structures ; (9) vegetative 

 methods of reproduction. B. Water-storage methods : (1) Water- 

 sacs; (2) water-storing cells; (3) mucilaginous cells; (4) hypogaeal 

 tubers, etc. ; (5) succulent tissue. In conclusion, he says that some 

 xerophytic adaptations found in bryophytes occur also in vascular plants, 

 but many are peculiar to the group. Many plants mentioned as exhibit- 

 ing " xerophytic " device* are not really xerophytes, but by means of the 

 devices are enabled to live under less moist conditions than would be 

 possible otherwise. 



Aitchisoniella, a New Himalayan Hepatic* — S. R. Kashyap 

 publishes morphological and biological notes on new and little known 

 West Himalayan liverworts. Some thirty liverworts were gathered at 

 Mussoorie in the summers of 1912, 1913, and among them three new 

 genera and eleven new species. In the present paper the following are 

 described and discussed, figures of the structure being given in illus- 

 tration of the text : — Cyathodiuru tuberosum, new species; Targionia 

 hypophylla L. var. integerrima, new variety; Aitchisoniella himalayensis, 

 a new genus and species related to Targionia. 



New Indian Mosses.f — H. N. Dixon reports on the mosses collected 

 by I. H. Burkill during the Abor punitive expedition (1911-12) 

 in the Himalayas north of Assam. Forty-two species are recorded ; and 

 among them are six novelties (five species and one variety), the charac- 

 teristic structure of which is described and figured. Some of the other 

 species are of considerable interest from the distributional point of view. 



The same author % gives an account of fifty-eight mosses collected in 

 the south of India and in Ceylon by C. E. C. Fischer and others. 

 Among them are five new species and three new varieties, the structure 

 of which is described and figured. 



*&* 



Thallophyta. 

 Alg-ae. 



(By Mrs. E. S. Gepp.) 



Plankton of Richmond River, N.S.W.§ — CI. I. Playfair gives an 

 account of the plankton of the Richmond River and tributary creeks, 

 principally in the neighbourhood of Lismore. The outstanding feature 

 of the flora is its richness in Diatoms. The Desmid flora is also extra- 

 ordinarily rich and there is a considerable number of Myxophycea?. 

 Phythelieas and Peridinieas are absent. Though the Chlorophycea? total 



* New Phytologist, xiii. (1914) pp. 206-25 (figs.), 

 t Records Bot. Survey India, vi. (1914) pp. 57-73 (2 pis.), 

 t Records Bot. Survey India, vi. (1914) pp. 75-89 (2 pis.). 

 § Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., xxxix. (1914) pp. 93-151 (8 pis.). 



