VOL. III.] Recent Literature. 75 



in the preparation of monographs would, we think, somewhat re- 

 duce the number of our species, especially in Gramineae. In this 

 connection we might call to notice the descriptions of Alopecunis 

 Howellii and Alopecunis Macoimii, in the present work (pp. 87 and 

 88). 



The assistance afforded by the translation of " The True Grasses" 

 in the preparation of the analytical tables is acknowledged in the 

 Introduction, and thanks are returned to Prof. Hackel for the priv- 

 ilege of using this work, although the translation is an American 

 production and copyrighted by the publishers. 



There are a number of "slips" which might trouble or confuse 

 the student. We are told on the first page that the floral organs, 

 the palet, the lodicules and the floral glume, " constitute a spike- 

 let." Qnly the first glume in the Andropogoneae is said to be 

 " more indurated than the inner ones." Over Oryza, on p. 4, the 

 empty glumes are described as " awnless, the flowering glume and 

 palet much compressed laterally." These characters are supposed 

 to enable us to distinguish Oryza from Leersia, which follows, and 

 which has "flowering glumes awnless;" we are not told whether 

 the glumes are compressed or not. In the tribe Oryze^e, the empty 

 glumes are said to be " two or none, very seldom numerous." 

 Hackel says " empty glume two or more, very seldom numerous." 

 In most of our species of this tribe the empty glumes are wanting. 

 The grain in Sporobolus (p. 5) is characterized as "loosely enclosed 

 or naked." On the same page the flowers of Epicampes are said 

 to be " large" and " not awned." 



In this first part some twenty species are described for the first 

 time, and a {^\< of these are characterized as new. 



We hope that greater care will be exercised in the preparation of 

 the second part, which the author hopes to publish " within a few 

 months." In the Introduction, criticisms are invited, and we only 

 regret that a work so excellent in its object should be so open to 

 criticism. If through what has here been said, the character of 

 part 2 reaches a higher plane, we shall only be too glad to publish 

 the fact. F. Lamson Scribner. 



Fossil Botany: Beiiig ati Iiitroductioti to PalcEOphytology from t/ie 

 Standpoijit of the Botanist. By H. Graf zu Solms-Laubach, Pro- 

 fessor of Botany in the University of Strasburg. Atdhorized Eng- 

 lish Translation. By Henry E. F. Garnsey, M. A. Among re- 



