RECENT ADVANCES IN SCIENCE 285 



Gwynne-^Vaughan, a younger man who, jointly with Dr. 

 Kidston, had contributed a series of very valuable papers on 

 the anatomical study of fossil ferns. 



General Paleobotany. — Appropriately the first work to be 

 considered is a booklet by the late Prof. Zeiller, published as 

 one of a series on French Science (Libraire Larousse, Paris, 191 5). 

 In this is given a short account of the most famous French 

 palseobotanists — and no country has done more for the science 

 than France — with portraits and an historical bibliography. 

 Not only has France had great palseobotanists, but the country 

 has been exceptional in availing herself of, and rewarding, 

 their services. Zeiller justifiably concludes with the words : 

 " La France est ainsi Tun des pays ou les indications fournies 

 par la pal£obotanique ont £te le mieux utilisees au profit de 

 l'exploitation des mines." 



Curiously enough, in this year of war, the most important 

 general work from Germany is a photographic reproduction of 

 the great Frenchman, Brongniart's, classic and still indis- 

 pensable Histoire des Vegetaux fossiles, first published in Paris 

 between the years 1828-37. 



As I write I have before me more than one hundred volumes, 

 papers, and titles of papers (some of which have not yet 

 reached this country) all published in 191 5. It will be neces- 

 sary, therefore, to select for mention only a small number of 

 these. 



Stratigraphic Palceobotany. — The plants of the Devonian 

 of Norway are dealt with by Prof. A. G. Nathorst, well illus- 

 trated with eight plates (Bergens Museums Aarbok, nr. 9, 1914- 

 15). Dr. E. A. N. Arber and R. H. Goode describe some 

 fossils from the Devonian of North Devon in the Proc. Cam- 

 bridge Phil. Soc. vol. xviii. 



Work on the Carboniferous period is naturally the most 

 abundant. Of this the largest and most important publica- 

 tion is a joint work by Dr. R. Kidston of Scotland and Dr. 

 W. J. Jongmans of Holland, dealing with the Calamites of 

 Western Europe. In some respects this is the most notable 

 publication of the year. The first instalment consists of 158 

 amazingly superb quarto plates of a number of species, illus- 

 trated entirely by photographs. Of a single species over 

 38 plates are given, thus illustrating its variations, and making 

 possible a visual image of its form which has never been 

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