70 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



gives remarks on other species already known. The new species belong 

 to Chantransia, Nemalion, Call ithamn ion, Seirospora, and a new variety 

 to Spermothamnion investiens. All the species dealt with are figured. 



Fresh-water Species of Chantransia. — F. Brand* publishes a 

 detailed treatment of the fresh-water species of Chantransia. His 

 paper opens with a short historical summary of the work of previous 

 authors and their views on the limits of the genus. Then, having put 

 aside the marine forms, he discusses the two groups of fresh-water 

 species, one of which consists of forms of other Florideae, and the other 

 of independent species. All these forms and species have been care- 

 fully investigated by the author and all the different characters examined 

 anew. The connection between the forms of Chantransia and the 

 genera Lemanea, Batrachospermum, Thorea, and Tuomeija is discussed, 

 and the author is of opinion that the Chantransia stage of these algre is 

 rather the result of adverse conditions than, as has been suggested, an 

 exuberance of growth. He likens it to the deep-water leaves of 

 Sagittaria, and points out how this theory would account for the fact 

 that one Chantransia, C. chalyhea, may be connected with no less than 

 eight different species of Batrachospermum. Batrachospermum is, in 

 itself, so variable, that the author has never been able entirely to fit in 

 his finds with any of the species described by Sirodot. An error, 

 which has been perpetuated by De Toni,f is here exposed, namely, the 

 placing of Chantransia violacea as a Chant ransia-i brm of Lemanea. 

 0. violacea is an independent species, though it is frecptently found 

 growing epiphytically on Lemanea. The author discusses the inde- 

 pendent Chantransia forms, and clears up difficulties which have long- 

 troubled students of the genus. Finally he gives a short systematic 

 synopsis of the genus, dealing only with hydrophilous species. Refer- 

 ences, synonyms, and short descriptions are given. A sub-genus, 

 Pseudochantransia, includes the species which are only a stage in the 

 life-history of other algae ; and this sub-genus is divided into sections 

 according to the genus of which the Chantransia forms a part (1) 

 Pseudochantransia Lemanese ; (2) P. Batrachospermi ; (3) P. Thorese ; 

 and (4) P. Tuomeyae. This paper clears up many difficulties, and 

 since every point has been personally verified by the author himself, it 

 forms a most valuable addition to algological literature. 



Griffithsia Bornetiana.t— I. F. Lewis has made a very complete 

 study of the life-history of Griffithsia Bornetiana. It occurs commonly 

 from northern Massachusetts south to Long Island Sound, and has been 

 recorded from New Jersey. In all plants examined, with two exceptions, 

 the antheridia, cystocarps and tetraspores are borne on separate indi- 

 viduals. The spores develop quite rapidly in the open ; indeed, bits of 

 cotton cloth, tied to piles near mature plants, showed in two weeks' 

 time sexual plants with ripe antheridia and carpospores, and tetrasporic 

 plants with mature spores. The tetrasporic plants are always more 

 abundant as well as on an average larger than sexual plants. After a 

 few remarks on the methods of fixing employed in his work, the author 



* Hedwigia, xlix. (1909) pp. 107-18. f Sylloge, iv. p. 18G6. 



} Ann. Hot., xxiii. (1909) pp. G39-90 (5 pis. and 2 figs, in text). 



