No. 3, December, 1920] BIBLIOGRAPHY, BIOGRAPHY, HISTORY 1 ii.j 



of the sugars found in fungi and theil relation to respiration; nitrification in the s<jil through 

 the agency of living organisms; organized and BOluble ferments; the role of ammonia in the 

 nutrition of higher plants; t be effect of light on assimilat ion ; I be rdat ion of t be composition 

 of forage plants to the Formation Of milk sugar by animals; and the chemical changes occur- 

 ring in the ripening <<( starchy and oleaginous seeds. -L. It'. Sharp. 



928. Ftbon, P. F. Editorial, .lour. Indian Bot. 1: 1 2. Sept.. l'.il'i. THe Journal of 

 Indian Batumi has been started to provide a means of publishing botanical work done in 

 India, which would not naturally find a home in existing botanical journals of that coun- 

 try, especially in branches other than Qoristic and agricultural botany. To be issued monthly, 

 and to contain original matter and abstracts. -C. S. Gager. 



929. Gershenfeld, Louis. Galen, a sketch. Jour. Amer. Pharm. Assoc. Q: 520-522. 

 1920. 



930. Goebel, K. Ernst Stahl zum Gedachtnis. [In memory of Ernst Stahl.] Xaturwis- 

 senschaften 8: 141-146. 1920. 



931. Groves, James. Cornelius Varley, 1781-1873. Jour. Botany 58: 50-53. 1920. 

 Varley's mother was probably a direct descendant from Oliver Cromwell. The imme- 

 diate family showed strong artistic tendencies. Cornelius, unlike his brother, developed also 

 a marked ability as an instrument maker, especially of optical instruments. The main reason 

 for considering him as a botanist lies in his remarkable paper on Chara published in 1849 

 ("on Chara vulgaris," Trans. Microsc. Soc. 2: 93-104. 1849) before Alexander Braun's 

 work appeared. In this he saw clearly many of the details of cellular construction that were 

 later brought out by Bratjn. — K. M. Wiegand. 



932. Guthrie, John D. Early English forest regulations. Jour. Forestry 18: 530-541" 

 1920. — -Presents English forest customs and usages dating back to the 14th centur}\ The 

 personnel of a forest, its administration, grazing uses and silviculture are described. — E. N. 

 Mtinns. 



933. Holmes, E. M. The manna of scripture. Chem. and Druggist 92 : 25-26. 1920.— 

 The manna of Moses has been ascribed to various bushes or small trees, such as Tamarix 

 gallica, var. mannifera, yielding saccharine exudations, of some value as food, for sweetening 

 cakes, etc. It has also been supposed that it was of fungous origin, or a lichen, — perhaps Leca- 

 nora esculenta, var. mannifera. Swann, in his recent book "Fighting the slavedriver in central 

 Africa," writes as follows (p. 116): "It was whilst passing through this district (the high pla- 

 teau which separates Lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika), composed mostly of sandstone and gran- 

 ite, and occupied by the Amambwi tribe, that I was shown a very curious white substance 

 very similar to porridge. It was found early in the morning before the sun rose. On exami- 

 nation it was found to possess all the characteristics of the manna .... of the Israel- 

 ites. In appearance it resembled coriander seed, was white in color like hoar frost, sweet to 

 the taste, melted in the sun and if kept over night was full of worms in the morning. It 

 required to be baked if you intended to keep it for any length of time. It looked as if it were 

 deposited on the ground in the night. The only suggestion I could think of was that it might 

 be a mushroom spawn, as on the spot where it melted, tiny fungi sprung up the next night." 

 Dr. Woreham, a medical missionary of this African district, confirms Swann's statements 

 but says that this "manna" is of rare occurrence. — Because of the Great Rift valley, which 

 extends from the Lebanons to the Cape of Good Hope and is evidently the bed of a formerly 

 great river, it is fully possible for a cryptogamic plant to be found in widely separated loca- 

 tions in this valley where the conditions are suitable for its development. A possibility of 

 identifying the manna of Scripture lies here, and an effort is being made to secure preserved 

 specimens and samples of the soil where they are obtained. — E. A r . Galhercoal. 



934. Howard, L. 0. Recollections of the early days of the Biological Society. Proc. Biol. 

 Soc. Washington [D. C] 32: 271-280. 1919. — Reminiscences and anecdotes of the Biological 

 Society of Washington are related. — J. C. Gilman. 



