12' 



^ BOOK-XOTES, XEWS, ETC. 



make some extracts. It contains tlie usual interesting notes upon 

 critical genera by Messi-s. Marshall, Salmon, Bennett, White, and others, 

 including the distributor for the year, Mr. H. S. Thompson : we are 

 glad to note the almost entire absence of rubbish-heap plants and do not 

 regret that Mr. Wilniott has not been able " to find time at the Museum 

 to write notes on some of the aliens submitted to him." The Ke])ort 

 contains a biogiuphy, with portrait, of Richard Spiers Standen (1835- 

 1917) who since he joined the Club in 1893 has only once omitted 

 to send an annual parcel of plants : his herbarium was presented to 

 the Department of Botany in 1910. 



The recent issue (vol. viii. parts 6-9 : Oct. 1917) of the JEssex 

 Naftirdlisf contains an interesting biography of John Gibbs (1822- 

 ? 1892) of Chelmsford, with portrait and bibliography, l)y Mr. Miller 

 Christy; Mr. Hugh Main figures and describes Eiifomoplithora 

 americana, an American fungus " ai)parently not previously recorded 

 for Europe and certainly not from Great Britain " ; an account of 

 the fungus foray and cryptogamic meeting for 1915 contains lists 

 of the fungi and mycetozoa met with and the description of a new 

 species — Lasioholns oligoffichns A. L. Sm. & liamsbottom ; and a 

 report by Mr. Robert Paulson on the Varenne collection of lichens in 

 the possession of the Club. 



It is well for the progress of the science of biogeogra'phy that any 

 speculations based upon the distribution of eitlier plants or animals 

 have to run the gauntlet of criticism from students of both divisions 

 of the organic world. Almost simultaneously with the publication of 

 Dr. Stapf's admirable " Cartogra|)hic Studv of the Southern Element 

 in the British Flora" {Proc. Linn. Soc. 1916-17, pp. 81-92), 

 Messrs. A. S. Kennard and B. B. Woodward have issued (Proc. 

 fjrpologists' Assoc, xxviii. pp. 109-190) a memoir on " The Post- 

 Pliocene Non-marine MoUusca of Ireland," which should not be over- 

 looked by botanists. Incidentally these authors give an interesting 

 discussion of the origin of (77iar«-marls ; but our reason for calling 

 attention to their paper here is that it states strongly supported 

 arguments as to the constitution, date and route of origin of the main 

 elements — Western, Germanic and Nearctic — of the Irish non-marine 

 moUusks, and by implication of the Hoi-a. Whilst Dr. Stapf follows 

 Engler and Clement Reid as to the entire destruction of the Irish 

 flora and fauna by the Glacial period and the Past-Glacial re-popula- 

 tion of the island, these authors follow Dr. Scharff to the opposed 

 conclusions that the fauna and flora are Pre-Glacial and that there 

 has been no land connection between Great Britain and Ireland since 

 Glacial times. Their discussion of Post-Glacial or Holocene climatic 

 fluctuations, confirming the conclusions of Prof. F. J. Lewis {Trans. 

 Boy. Soc. JScl. vols, xli.-xlvii. 1905-11), on lines sketched long agob}'' 

 Axel Blytt, is also of great practical importance to botanists. 



We greatly regret to record the death of Feltx Gilbert Wilt- 

 shear, who was killed in France towards the end of November. He 

 had been for many years in charge of the Botanical Library at the 

 Natural History Museum, where his intelligence and helpfulness 

 were gveatlv a])preciated by visitors. AVe liope to say niore about 

 him in anv carlv issue. 



