82 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



genera, EnJesTcea and Hetcroleskea, each containing five species, the 

 former with papillose leaves, the latter with smooth. He gives careful 

 descriptions of the species and varieties, with critical notes, synonymy 

 and good figures. The novelties are two species and four varieties. 



Bryology of the Tuscan Archipelago.* — A. Beguinot in the winter 

 of 1897-8 studied the Muscinese of the Tuscan archipelago, and gives 

 lists for the islands as follows : Giannutri, 27 mosses, 9 hepatics ; 

 Giglio, 108 mosses, 45 hepatics ; Montecristo, 49 mosses, 23 hepatics ; 

 Pianosa, 32 mosses, 17 hepatics ; Elba, 182 mosses, 54 hepatics ; Capraia„ 



83 mosses, 33 hepatics ; Gorgona, 59 mosses, 13 hepatics. The total 

 for the archipelago is 17G species of mosses and Gl species of hepatics- 

 The geographical distribution of the mosses is worked out at con- 

 siderable length, and the species are divided into four groups : (1) ten 

 species which are cosmopolitan ; (2) eighty-three which are not cosmo- 

 politan, but widely distributed in and outside Europe ; (3) fifty-four 

 which are widely distributed in southern and middle Europe and in 

 other continents ; (4) twenty-eight more or less widely distributed in 

 southern (and western) Europe and outside the continent. The actual 

 distribution is detailed for each species. The comparative floras of 

 various countries and regions, and past and present geological conditions, 

 climate, etc., are fully discussed ; also the conditions of growth required 

 by the species themselves. An attempt is made to explain the floras, 

 of the Tuscan islands in terms of these factors. The geographical dis- 

 tribution of the hepatics is not discussed owing to lack of satisfactory 

 data for comparison. The paper ends with a tabulated list of the species, 

 and varieties that constitute the bryological flora of the archipelago. 



European Mosses in the Himalayas.f — E. Levier calls attention 

 to the want of a work of reference giving the geographical distribution 

 and zones of altitude of the mosses of the world : and, as a contribu- 

 tion towards such a work, he has compiled from his carefully labelled 

 herbarium a catalogue of 1G2 European mosses which occur in the 

 Himalayas, with their exact localities and altitudes in the latter region. 

 These mosses were collected by J. F. Duthie and his assistants, and 

 determined by V. F. Brotherus. 



North American Mosses. $ — E. G. Britton publishes some notes on 

 Splachnum, especially with reference to the curious umbrella-shaped apo- 

 physis of the sporophyte of *S'. rubrum and S. luteum. J.M. Holzinger§ 

 reports on some well preserved fossil mosses from Iowa, extracted from 

 a deposit five to ten thousand years old — Hypnum fluitans, H. re- 

 volvens, and //. Richardsoni. A. J. Grout || gives the results of some 

 exhaustive examinations of the colonies of mosses occurring in selected 

 areas of a few square feet ; for example, an old pear tree, an old log in 

 a deep moist wood, a sandy field, a road cutting, an old stone wall. To 

 his surprise, these yielded several species which he had never gathered 

 before. R. S. Williams If publishes a list of 382 mosses gathered by 

 himself in the State of Montana, between 188G and 1897. Three new 



* Nuov. Giorn. Bot. Ital., x. (1903) pp. 285-332, 423-530. 



t Bull. Soc. Bot. Ital., 1903, pp. 105-14. 



% Bryolo-ist, vi. (1903) pp. 91-3 (1 pi.). 



§ Tom. oit.. pn. 93-4. ' || Tom. cit , pp. 94-6. 



^ Lull. New Yoik Pot. GarcUn, ii. (1903) pp. 351-80 (6 pis.). 



