BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 247 



only." The introduction contains directions for using the keys 

 provided as a means to the determination of the genera, and "is 

 followed by a " systematic arrangement of the plant materials " with 

 keys to species under each genus; the orders are brielly and the 

 genera very fully described. This little book, which is convenient 

 for handling and of pocketable size, may be obtained from the author 

 at Urbana, Illinois, for a dollar— " postpaid if order is accompanied 

 by cash." 



An instructive note On the Calif orniaii '' Delesseria quercifolia " 

 is supplied by Dr. Carl Skottsberg' ( University of California Publi- 

 cations in Botany, vol. 7, pp. 427-436, 1 pL, 1922), who shows that, 

 though this alga has been issued as conspecific with the true 

 B. quercifolia Eory from subantarctic America and is closely allied 

 to it, yet it does differ both in habit and anatomy. Further, he 

 surveys the history oi Delesseria and points out that 'if D. sanguinea 

 be recognized as the type of Delesseria, then the British species 

 D. sinuosa must be excluded and Kiitzing's genus Fliycodrys must 

 be restored for it (as has already been done by Batters in his Cata- 

 logue, 1902, where the plant becomes P. ruhens (Huds.) Batt.), and 

 will also include P. quercifolia (Bory) Skottsb. and P. Setchellii 

 Skottsb., under which name is described the Calif ornian alga which 

 had been wrongly referred to Delesseria quercifolia. — A. Gr. 



The Journal of the Linnean Society (Botany, xlv. no. 305; 

 June 20: 12^.) contains a paper by B. Millard Griffiths on "The 

 Heleoplankton of the Berkshire Pools," which includes figures and 

 descriptions of a new Feridinium (P. Suttoni) ; and the conclusion 

 of the account of the plants collected in New Caledonia and the Isle 

 of Pines in 1914 by Mr. R. H. Compton— the Hepatica^, with two 

 plates and numerous new species, are elaborated by Mr. W. H. Pear- 

 son ; the Marine Algse by Mr. Gepp ; the Freshwater ' Al'gje by 

 Dr. Nellie Carter, with a new genus of Stiyomenacece {Bosaria), 

 some new species and a plate; Charophyta by Mr. James Groves 

 {Nitella Comptonii sp. n. with j^late) ; Lichens by Miss Lorrain 

 Smith, with a new genus of Pannariacece {Lepidoleptoyiuni) and 

 some new species ; Fungi by Miss E. M. Wakefield, with two new 

 species. 



The aim of M. Henri Leclerc in his Precis de Phytotherapie 

 (Masson, Paris, 12 fr. net) is to convince his readers "que le 

 medecine des simples, si chere a nos a'ieux, debarrassee, grace aux 

 lumieres des methodes actuelles, des obscurites qui I'enveloppaient et 

 des legendes qui la defigui-aient, est encore capable de rendre des 

 services." With this object he has brought together an interesting 

 and carefully compiled epitome of the works of the older writers (so 

 far as these relate to the medical uses of plants) whose observations 

 have been confirmed by long experience and are supported by recent 

 investigations, including those of the author. The little book is thus 

 a successor, brought up to date, of the " herbals " which at one time 

 held an important place in popular medical practice; although 

 relating to the French flora, it will be of service to others interested 

 in the subject. 



