224 SUMMARY OF CUERENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



were studied, with the result that both of them, together with PalmeUa 

 bullosa Kiitz., Olcecapsa gelatinosa Kiitz., Aphanothece bullosa Rabh., 

 and Glaucocystis Nostochinearum Itzigs. var. minor Hansg., were found 

 to be synonyms of Glaucocystis hullosa (Kiitz.) Wille. Aphanocapsa 

 muscicola (Menegh.) Wille was found to include as synonyms : Cocco- 

 chloris muscicola Menegh., G. parietina Menegh., PalmeUa muscicola 

 Kiitz., P. parietina Nag., Aphanocapsa parietina Niig. & Thuret in Wittr. & 

 Xordst. alg. exs. Xo. 1547, A. virescens Rabh. & A. Forti. A study of 

 original material of PalmeUa alpicola Lyngb. shows that it is Gkeocapsa 

 magma Kiitz., and both equal G. montana Wille. Chroococcus paUidus 

 Nag. is C. aurantius Wille. PalmeUa hyalina is Tetraspora bullosa 

 Kiitz. PalmeUa minuta Ag., with five other species, is Tetraspora 

 explanata Ag. Proiococcus natans Ag. proves to be the germinating 

 zoospores of a filamentous alga, probably Stigeoclonium tenue (Ag.) 

 Rabh. var. uniformis (Ag.) Kiitz. ^ E. S. O. 



New Species of Uronema from India. — ^.ItMno^^ {Ann.of Bot., 

 1920, 34, 95-8, figs.). Description of Uronema indicum, found in a 

 dirty drain at Lahore, India. It differs from U. elongatum in being 

 larger, in the chloroplast running the whole length of the cell, and in 

 the cells being usually broader than long. A. Gr. 



Alga-Flora of some Desiccated English Soils : an Important 

 Factor in Soil Biology. — B. Muriel Bristol {Ann. of Bot., 1920, 

 34, :>5-80, 1 pi. and figs.). The results of the investigation of forty- 

 four samples of soil from widely separated localities. The material was 

 studied by means of water-cultures ; and it was found that there is a 

 widely distributed ecological plant-formation in cultivated soils consist- 

 ing of moss-protonema and alga3. The most important alg^ in this 

 formation are : Hantzschia amphioxys (Ehr.) Grun., Trochiscia aspera 

 (Reinsch) Hansg., CIdorococcum humicola (Naeg.) Rabenh., Bumilleria 

 exilis Klebs, and to a less degree Ulothrix subtilis Kiitz. var. variabilis 

 (Kiitz.) Kirchn. Other species of typical soil-algte occurring somewhat 

 less frequently give rise to smaller plant-associations within this formation. 

 In all, G4 species and varieties were found — 20 Bacillariet\3, 24 Myxo- 

 phyceaj, and 20 Chlorophyceas. The soil-samples had all been subjected 

 to complete desiccation for 4 to 2G weeks before being placed in the 

 cultures ; hence those species could be expected to withstand any period 

 of drought that might occur naturally. It seems likely that this ex- 

 tensive algal formation must be of considerable economic importance in 

 the biology of the soil. Six new species or varieties are described, 16 

 species already known are newly recorded for the British Islands, and a 

 number of new or interesting stages are depicted in the life-histories of 

 certain species already known, especially in connexion with the germina- 

 tion of the spores of some blue-green alg;i3. The final section of the paper 

 contains a short account of each of the species found in the cultures. 

 Further, in three tables are displayed the botanical analyses of the various 

 samples of soil. A. G. 



Roya anglica G. S. West, a new Desmid ; with an Emended 

 Description of the Genus Roya. — AVilliam J. Hodgetts {Jo urn. of 



