238 Aljjae 



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Bailey, L. W. and A. H. Mac Kay. Diatoms from the 

 Eastern Coasts of Vancouver Island, B. C, Canada. 

 (Transact. Roy. Soc. Canada. Ser. III. Vol. IX. Sect. 4. p. 141 — 173. 

 Sept. 1915.) 



This is the first paper on the Diatoms of the Pacific Coast of 

 Canada, and relates to the vicinity of Nana imo and some Islands 

 about Departure Bay. The collections were made by the staff 

 of the Nanaimo Biological Station, partly by plankton nets, partly 

 as washings from algae &c., partly from soundings or harbour 

 muds. Several pages are devoted to a discussion of the plankton 

 diatoms — genus by genus. Then the non-planktonic forms are 

 numerated; and a list is given of the species common to the Pacific 

 and Atlantic Coasts of Canada. Finally an enumeration of the 

 diatoms of the Eastern Shores of Vancouver Island, as deter- 

 mined by L. W. Bailey, A. H. Mac Kay, and O. Ken da 11, is 

 provided, in which the length and width of the species is briefly 

 indicated in its valval or zonal aspect, and the fineness of sculpture 

 and other characters are set out. Such new species or varieties as 

 are suggested are provisional only. Ethel S. Gepp. 



Platt, E. L., The population of the „blanket- algae" of 

 freshwater pools. (American Naturalist. IL. p. 754 — 762. 1915.) 



The author studied the Community of life that is bound up 

 wiih the floating masses of filamentous algae, populariy known as 

 „blanket-algae". Some pools in the vicinity of Cornell University 

 Campus at Ithaca furnished the materials for her observations. 

 From the filamentous algae of the floating mass, some forms appeared 

 constantly, the most frequent being Spirogyra varians. Splrogyra 

 was almost invariably associated with other filamentous algae 

 {Motigeotia, Zygnema). A great variety in seasonal conditions was 

 observed. The paper mentions the flora's of filamentous algae. of 

 diatoms, desmids and other algae and the animal population. The 

 dominating forms among the diatoms were Cocconema, Navicula, 

 Gomphonema and Synedva. Other algae were best represented by 

 Closterhmi, Dictyosphaevium and Dinobryon. The seasonal Variation 

 was very different in the different pools; several interesting features 

 about it are mentioned. The paper concludes with some remarks 

 about the natural balance in these societies, the relations between 

 „producers and consumers, hunters and hunted, each readily 

 exchanging röles as occasion demands". M. J. Sirks (Bunnik). 



Smith, A. L. and J. Ramsbottom. Is Pelvetia canaliculatn a 

 Liehen? (New Phytologist. XIV. p. 295-298. 1915.) 



The authors criticise the Suggestion recently made by Suther- 

 land (New Phytologist, XIV, p. 84) that Pelvetia canalicidata is 

 perhaps to be regarded as a liehen, seeing that MycosphaereUa 

 Pelvetiae apparently occurs constantly in association with it. It is 

 pointed out that Pelvetia in no way agrees with accepted defini- 

 tions of the class Lichens. The association is perhaps more akin to 

 Mycorhisae, or to that of Ustilagineae with their hosts. Further 

 light on the nature of the symbiosis would be desirable. 



E. M. Wakefield (Kew). 



