150 Palaeontologie. 



are still common in the Potomac Valley except Taxodium, \^hich 

 is no longer found in the immediate vicinity. Jongmans. 



Berry, E. W., The Mississippi River Bluffs at Columbus 

 and Hickman, Kentucky, and their fossil Flora, (Pro- 

 ceed. U. S. Nat. Museum. XLVIII. p. 293—303. PI. 12, 13. 1915.) 



The question of exact age of late Tertiary and Quaternary floras 

 is complicated by the uncertainty as to when the Pliocene ended 

 and the Pleistocene began. This is dependent aimost entireiy upon 

 latitude. As the term is ordinarily understood the flora of the 

 Hickman and Columbus Bluffs is Pleistocene. 



The paper contains the description of the fossils with notes on 

 literature, synonymy and recent and fossil distribution. Some of the 

 more interesting forms are figured. 



The following forms have been found: Taxodimn distichum (L.) 

 Rieh., Hicoria pecan (Marsh) Britton; H. glabra (Miller) Britton, 

 Salix vUninaUfolia nov. spec, resembles 5'. viniinalis L , Popidus 

 species, Betula nigra L., Betula species, Fagiis americana Sweet, 

 Quevciis species, Ulmus alata Mich, (flg.), Planera aguatica (Wdlier) 

 J. F. Gmel., Cebatha Carolina (L.) Britton (flg.), Hex {}) species (flg.), 

 Nyssa sylvatica Marsh, Xolisma ligustrina (L.) Britton (flg.), Praxi- 

 nus americana L., Teconia preradicaris nov. spec. (flg.), similar to T. 

 radicans in general appearance. It differs from the existing species 

 in the fewer leaflets, its smaller and more close-set marginal teeth, 

 the tendency of the leaflets to assume an obovate outline, and the 

 absence of the produced acumen. Jongmans. 



Berpy, E. W., The origin and distribution of the family 

 Myrtaceae. (Bot. Gazette. ^LIX. p. 484—490. 1915.) 



The first part of this paper contains a review of the present 

 distribution of the Myrtaceae. The known facts suggest America 

 as the original home of the family. In its early deployment it rea- 

 ched Europe, either by way of Asia or the North Atlantic 

 plateau, early in the Upper cretaceous, and became cosmopolitan 

 before the close of the cretaceous. During the late Tertiary this 

 ancestral stock, which largely coincided with the existing subfamily 

 Myrtoideae, was forced to withdraw from temperate North Ame- 

 rica to the American tropics, where it had originated and to which 

 it has since been so largely confined. It is generally accepted that 

 the chiefly australian Leptospennoideae originated from. the Myr- 

 toideae. 



The evidence by the facts of fossil occurrence, which is rather 

 meager, supports the thesis of origin which is put forward. 



Many fossil species of Eucalyptus occur in the Cretaceous of 

 all parts of the world, pariicularfy throughout the Northern Hemi- 

 sphere. The oligocene records are all european, and the miocene 

 records include both Europe and Asia. 



The 24 fossil species of Myrtus are all european. The oldest 

 forms are early eocene. Species of the formgenus Myrtophyllum 

 have been described from the european, american and australian 

 Upper cretaceous, and tertiary species in Europe, Asia and 

 South America. 



Myrcia is found in the american eocene and in the american 



