1 62 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



we said, it does not appear upon the title page, nor in the introduction, 

 but we find that it is prominent enough at the top of every page of the 

 text. 



Dr. Bergman concludes from his researches that formic and acetic 

 acids are found in all parts of plants as constituents of the protoplasm and 

 are to he regarded mainly as decomposition products, resulting con- 

 tinually from metastatic changes. An increase in the amount of these 

 acids takes place whenever light is withdrawn unless the temperature is 

 lowered at the same time to the minimum required for growth. 



Dr. Fred. Brendel of Peoria, Illinois, has just published a treatise 

 upon the topography, climate and vegetation of Illinois, which also con- 

 tains a Catalogue of the Flora around Peoria. This is an imperial octavo 

 of 107 pages, but as it is in German, and printed at Buda-Pesth, and is a 

 part of the fifth volume of the Termeszetrajzi Fusetek (whatever that 

 may be), American botanists will not be apt to get much good of it. 



In this number of the Gazette is begun a series of short bio- 

 graphical sketches of some North American botanists of the first half 

 of the century. Many botanists, who have not access to large libraries, 

 feel an interest in knowing more about those whose abbreviated names 

 are of such familiar occurrence in our manuals and a wider knowledge 

 of the history of botany and the personality of botanists will help us all. 



Mr. J. G.Baker has prepared a paper on the flora of Madagascar, re- 

 cently read before the Linnean Society. It contains descriptions of 140 new 

 species of Polypetahe. Some of the genera are widely diffused through- 

 out the tropics; others are of temperate types; others are characteristic 

 of the Cape flora; and a new genus is allied to the American ffircea; and 

 some characteristic Australian genera are present by their representa- 

 tives. 



A. Ernst writes to Nature from Caracas about an abnormal fruit 

 of Opuntia Ficus-Indica, which had developed wholly inclosed in one of 

 the flat branches. He also inclined to believe that what is taken to be the 

 pericarp of the Opuntia fruit is nothing but a slightly modified branch, 

 bearing the ovary of the flower in a cavity on its upper end. If this 

 is true Opuntia can no longer be described as having an "exerted ovary," 

 as the latter is sunk in the interior of a branch. 



It has been recorded by Dr. Brandis, Director of the India Forest 

 Department, that Acacia dealbata introduced into India from Australia 

 in 1845 has gradually changed its time of flowering from October, the 

 Australian spring, to June, the corresponding spring month in India. In 

 1850 the tree flowered in October, in 1860 in September, in 1870 in 

 August, 1878 in July and in 1882 in June. Mr. Dyer notices this fact in 

 Nature and adds the statement that Acacia demrrem, var. mollis, a close- 



