256 THE JOURNAL OP BOTANY 



sented by the genus Photobacterium, on which the author has 

 made various experiments ; it is illustrated by a curious " photo- 

 graphie du buste de Claude Bernard eclaire par la lumiere des 

 Photobacteriees. ' ' 



Mr. p. Diemer, of Cairo, has published a pretty little book 

 containing some thirty pictures, reproduced from photographs 

 of Sovie Desert Floioers by Mrs. Grace M. Crowfoot, to which 

 are added brief descriptions based on those in Muschler's Manual 

 Flora of Egypt. There is an interesting introduction dealing 

 with the characteristics of the Flora. The price of the book is 

 not stated ; the copy before us is announced in violet ink on the 

 title-page as "Gratuit pour la redaction," and the publisher adds 

 to his generosity by sending a ready-written review, of which we 

 do not propose to avail ourselves further than by agreeing that 

 " with this book in hand a good many of the commoner of the 

 flowers growing near Cairo can be readily identified." 



Dr. Staff contributes to the supplement to vol. 50 of the 

 Botanische Jalirhilcher an important paper on "The Southern Ele- 

 ment in the British Flora." We regret that a paper of such special 

 interest to British botanists should appear in a German periodical 

 with which few, if any of them, are likely to be acquainted. 



A note in the Selhorne Magazine for August, signed " K. M. 

 Styan," records the finding, in August, 1913, of " a tiny patch " of 

 Asperula nitida, " not very far from the summit of Ben Nevis." 

 The identification has been verified at the National Herbarium, 

 where a specimen of the plant has been placed. A. nitida is a 

 native of Asia Minor, " now cultivated somewhat in English 

 gardens." Although the writer of the note thinks the view that 

 it was planted there is " too ridiculous to credit," we have little 

 doubt that its occurrence is to be thus explained : it is, w^e believe, 

 well known that attempts have been made to establish plants upon 

 the Scottish mountains as elsewhere, and this seems to be one of 

 the few occasions on which the attempt has proved successful. 



A SERIES of papers on " The Flora of the Brent Valley Bird 

 Sanctuary," by Mr. J. C. Shenstone, appeared in the Selborne 

 Magazine during 1913. 



Vegetationsbilder von Kilimandscharo, by Dr. Gertrud Tobler- 

 Wolff and Dr. Fr. Tobler (Jena, Gustav Fischer, 1914), forms 

 Parts 2 and 3 of the twelfth series of the "Vegetationsbilder" 

 edited by Professors Karsten & Schenk. The letterpress accom- 

 panying the plates explains in an admirable way the various 

 features of the district visited by the authors. The plates them- 

 selves are well executed and, although encumbered with the 

 embarrassing excess of detail and want of individual definition 

 common to similar photographs, give an excellent idea of the 

 scenery depicted. Special mention may be made of plate 7 {Lco- 

 notis mollis Benth), plates 9 and 10 (giant Lobelias), plate 12 

 (Heaths), and plate 17 (Helichrysums). This is altogether a 

 valuable addition to this series of botanical photographs. 



