ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICKOSCOPY, ETC. 303 



organisms, like Trachelomonas and Glosterium. Iron is not however 

 absolutely necessary to them. E. S. G. 



Desmid Flora of a Triassic District. — G. T. Haeris {Journ. 

 QueJcett Micros. Club, 192u, 14, 2G pp.). The district in question lies 

 in E. Devon, between the estuaries of the Exe and the Axe. The 

 object of this investigation was to compare the Desmid flora of this 

 district with that of Dartmoor, in order to estimate the influence of 

 geological beds in the species density of the Desmid flora. The methods 

 of collecting, the time expended in field work, and the number of 

 gatherings made were roughly the same for both districts. A compara- 

 tive table of the two floras is drawn up, which gives a total of 287 

 species for E. Devon (Triassic) and 282 for Dartmoor (Palaeozoic) : 

 indicating therefore that the factors influencing the richness or poverty 

 of Desmid floras must be sought for elsewhere than in the geological 

 beds upon Avhich the habitats stand. This conclusion is confirmed by 

 a recent investigation of the Desmid flora of a district on Eocene beds. 

 A census list at the end of this paper adds 122 species and varieties to 

 the Desmid flora of Devon, bringing it up to a total of about 500. 

 Zygospores are specially noted in connexion with their respective 

 species, principally because they occurred in the spring gatherings. 

 They appear to be freely produced in March and April, and were even 

 found in the winter months in a condition which indicated recent 

 conjugation. A description is given of the physical features of the 

 bogs from which collections were made, followed by special notes ou 

 certain of the species. E. S. G-. 



Subterranean Algal Flora. — G. T. Moore and J. L. Karu'eu (Ann. 

 Minnesota Bat. Gard., 1919, 16, 281-307 ; see also Bot. Gaz., 1921. 

 71, 78). An account of the discovery of a subterranean algal flora, in- 

 dependent of the terrestrial flora and to a great degree of the character 

 and locality of the soil. An analysis was made of a variety of soils 

 collected in Missouri, California and Massachusetts. The samples were 

 collected at dift'erent depths under sterile conditions and in localities 

 where the soil had not been disturbed for a number of years. These 

 were placed in bottles containing an amount of sterile algal nutrient 

 solution and sterile sand. After several weeks alga? were found in small 

 amounts sufficient for study. It was thus shown that alga^ exist in the 

 soil to a depth of 1 metre at least, under conditions which preclude the 

 possibility of surface infection. A wide variety of species were found, 

 but of particular interest is the fact that Proioderma viride Kiitz. 

 occurred at all depths and in all the samples obtained in the widely 

 separated localities. E. S. G. 



New Species of Laurencia from Chile. — G. B. de Toni, A. Forti 

 and M. A. Howe {Nuov. Noiar., 1921, 32, 149-53, 3 figs.). The species 

 here described, Laurencia chilevsis, was collected on the coast of Chile 

 and in the Magellan region by R. Espinosa. It bears some resemblance 

 in size, habit and consistency of the frond to L. heterodada Harv., 

 L. forsteri Grev., L. Jiliformis Mont., and L. scoparia J. Ag., but 

 appears to differ from all in its brownish colour, in the irregularly 



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