NEUE KALEALGEN VON DEUTSCH-NEU-GUINEA. NATURE-CHAT. 365 



petales font rhabillemeut et les bras, au moyen des fils qui les 



rattaclicnt. La petite tete fait le visage ; le haut de cette tete 



forme une calotte ; les etamines font une jolie fraise ou collerette 



autour du visage." To which M. EoUand adds: "les petales 



doivent etre retournes et ramenes du cote de la tige, et on fait les 



jambes avec deux brins de graminces." 



M. Eolland's book is a valuable contribution to the popular 



natural history of plants, and we trust it will steadily proceed to its 



completion. t t> 



•■■ James JJeitten. 



Nene Kalkalfjenvon Deiitsch-Neu-Guinea. Von F. Heydrich. (Biblio- 

 theca Botanica. Heft 41.) Stuttgart : Nagele. 1897. Price 

 G Marks. Pp. viii, 11 ; 1 tab., 1 text-figure. 



Under the general name of Bibliutlicca Botanica, edited by Pro- 

 fessors Luerssen and Frank, there have appeared at irregular intervals 

 and at varied prices a series of original communications by all sorts 

 of authors upon all sorts of botanical subjects. The present mono- 

 graph on the calcareous algre of Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, or German 

 New Guinea, forms the concluding part of Baud vii., and is remark- 

 able for the liberal allowance of titles ^vhich it displays in proportion 

 to text. Thus there is the title-page proper of the monograph; also 

 that of Heft 41, which is duplicated on the cover; and finally that of 

 Band vii. of the Bibliotheca Botanica, followed by a page of contents. 

 These "outward limbs and flourishes" are no doubt essential to the 

 book as a whole, but they occupy nearly half the present publication. 

 The remaining text, however, is sufficiently solid and condensed to 

 satisfy the most exacting algologist. Four new species of Litho- 

 thamnion [L. taniiense, L. jnjijmaiim, L, Bamleri, L, onkodes) are 

 described in full, and two others incompletely known are indicated 

 without name. Three other new species described are Lithophyllum 

 Jibidatuin, Pcyssonnelia taniiense [sic !] , and P. calcarca. Of most of 

 these plants life-size photographs, reproduced by collotypy, are pro- 

 vided, and give us a true conception of the external appearance of 

 these calcareous seaweeds. Growing as many of them do on coral- 

 reefs, the coralline algae are liable to be mistaken for true corals; 

 and as time and investigation proceed we are likely to have several 

 additions to the species. . P 



Nature-Chat. By Edward A. Martin, F.G.S. London : R. E. 

 Taylor & Son. 8vo, pp. 141. Price Is. 



This is an example of the kind of volume which is put forwiard 

 iu these bookmaking days by well-meaning persons who assume 

 the teacher's chair when they should occupy a place on the learner's 

 form. Mr. Martin's observations are at best trivial ; they are some- 

 times inaccurate, as well as inconsistent. For example, he says 

 (p. 14) that "the eight-rayed yellow disc" of the lesser celandine 

 is, "our botanical friends tell us, not a corona of petals as one 

 might think, but a calyx of sepals, beneath which appear three 



