LITERARY NOTICES. 



129 



Contributions to the Knowledge of the 

 Older Mesozoic Flora of Virginia. By 

 William Morris Fontaine. Washing- 

 ton : Government Printing-OfiBcc. Pp. 

 144, with Fifty-seveu P.ates. 



The Mesozoic beds of Virginia are all 

 situated cast of the Blue Ridge, and most 

 of them are found within the terrain of the 

 crystalline Azoic rocks. The beds are di- 

 vided into two classes, which appear to have 

 but little in common with one another. The 

 older Mesozoic beds, which furnished the 

 plants described in this book, are of fresh- 

 water or brackish-water deposit, and often 

 contain coals. The younger formations also 

 contain plants, but of a totally different 

 character from that of the plants of the 

 older Mesozoic. The most important of all 

 the beds passes about ten miles west of 

 Richmond, and is about thirty miles long 

 and six broad. It contains nearly all the 

 coal and yields nearly all the plants found 

 in the formation. Besides the plants found 

 in these beds, and for the sake of compari- 

 son with them, plates and descriptions are 

 given from Emmons's work of plants from 

 the older Mesozoic strata of North Caro- 

 lina, most of which, however, coming from 

 strata above the coal, are supposed to be 

 of a somewhat later age than the Virginia 

 plants. 



The Q. p. Index for 1884. Fourth annual 

 issue. Bangor: Q. P. Index. Pp. 67. 

 Price, $1. 



In this issue, which forms No. IT of the 

 Q. P. series, the numbers for 1884 of fifty 

 periodical?, and of the United States con- 

 sular reports and education circulars, are 

 indexed. The list includes all the impor- 

 tant American literary magazines and re- 

 views, most of the British literary maga- 

 zines which have a circulation in this coun- 

 try, and about a dozen German periodicals. 

 The " Revue de Belgitiue " is included, but 

 not the " Revue des Deux Mondes." Since 

 the British reviews were indexed in No. 16, 

 they do not appear in this issue. When 

 one realizes that about seventy-five thou- 

 sand pages are indexed in these fifty-seven 

 pages, it becomes evident that Mr. Griswold 

 has brought the art of abbreviating to a 

 wonderful state of efficiency. He is also 

 a spelling reformer who has the courage 

 of his convictions, for he writes " forein," 



VOL. XXVIII. — 9 



"welth," "tarif," "primitiv," "fotografy," 

 "iland," etc. 



Commercial Organic Analysis. By Al- 

 fred H. Allen, F. 1. C, F. C. S. Sec- 

 ond edition, revised and enlarged. Vol. 

 I. Philadelphia: P. Blakiston, Son & 

 Co. Pp. 476. Price, $4.50. 



The edition of this work now publish- 

 ing is to appear in three volumes instead of 

 two, as in the first edition. A new arrange- 

 ment of the subject-matter has been adopt- 

 ed, EO that each volume may treat more 

 especially of kindred products. The vol- 

 ume now presented is devoted chiefly to the 



j consideration of bodies of the fatty series 

 and of vegetable origin, and includes chap- 



I ters on the alcohols, ethers, and other neu- 



j tral derivatives of the alcohols, sugars, 



' starch and its isomers, and vegetable acids. 

 In revising this volume, the author has 

 made considerable changes and additions 

 in order to bring the information contained 

 up to the latest possible date, so that very 

 few pages remain as they stood in the first 

 edition. He promises as thorough treat- 



\ ment of the rest of the work. 



1 



I 



1 Insomnia ; and other Disorders of Sleep. 

 By Henry M. Lyman, M. D. Chicaco : 

 W. T. Keener. Pp. 239. Price, $L50. 



This book discusses in a clear and read- 

 able style one of the severest afflictions to 

 which man is liable. In the discussion the 

 author covers an even wider ground than is 

 indicated in his title, and considers all the 

 phenomena of sleep, both normal and trou- 

 bled. He begins with a full chapter on 

 " The Nature and Cause of Sleep," which is 

 followed by the consideration of the imme- 

 diate subject of the treatise — insomnia, or 

 wakefulness, the remedies for it and the 

 treatment of it in particular diseases ; and 

 after this are given chapters on " Dreams," 

 " Somnambulism," and "Artificial Somnam- 

 bulism, or Hypnotism." 



List of Tests (Reagents). By Hans M. 

 Wilder. New York : P. W. Bedford. 

 Pp. 88. Price, $1. 



The nine hundred and fifty-three tests 

 are described briefly under the names of 

 the originators, which are arranged alpha- 

 betically, and a subject-index is added. The 

 very common tests are not included. 



