340 [November 
SOME NEW BOOKS 
THE FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA 
SyNorricaL Frora or NortH America. Vol. I., Part I., Fascicle II. By Asa Gray, 
continued and edited by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson. Imp. 8vo, pp. ix. to xv., 
207 to 506. New York: American Book Company, June 10, 1897. Price, 11s. 
THOSE of our readers who are interested in North American botany 
will remember that Dr Gray himself published the portion of this 
flora dealing with the Gamopetalous orders of Dicotyledons. The 
Swo parts which appeared in 1878 and 188+ were re-issued by the 
Smithsonian Institution in 1886. For some time before his death Dr 
Gray was engaged in monographing the earlier orders of the Poly- 
petalae, and after his death the work was continued by Dr Sereno 
Watson and then by Dr Robinson. The first fascicle of the present 
part was issued in 1895 and contained an account of the orders 
beginning with Ranunculaceae and, following the system of Bentham 
and Hooker’s Genera Plantarum, ending with Frankeniaceae. The 
second fascicle now before us carries the work on as far as Polygalaceae. 
It has been printed from Dr Gray’s manuscript, continued and edited 
by Dr Robinson, with the collaboration of Professors Trelease, Coulter 
and Bailey. A third fascicle to include the Leguminosae is in pre- 
paration. The work forms a concise but complete and carefully 
elaborated account of the flowering plants of North America (north of 
Mexico). The descriptions, which are sufficiently full and clear, are 
in English; the synonymy and bibliography of genera and species are 
included, and the geographical range of species and varieties is indi- 
cated. Identification of the plants is facilitated by the introduction 
of generic and specific keys. We congratulate Dr Robinson and his 
colleagues on the portion already done and wish them a speedy and 
successful termination of the Flora. 
MOLLUSCA 
TRAITE DE ZOOLOGIE PUBLIK SOUS LA DIRECTION DE RapHAEL BLANCHARD. Faso. 
ao Mollusques. Par P. Pelseneer. Pp. 187, figs. 8vo, Paris: Rueff et Cie, 
TuIs, which we understand is one of the first fascicules published of 
what promises to be a most important and valuable work, contains, in 
addition to the subject announced on the title, a two-page appendix on 
Rhodope. Otherwise it amounts in fact to a second edition of Pelseneer’s 
“Introduction a l'étude des Mollusques,” to which we called attention 
on its publication (Natural Science, iv., 1894, pp. 387-388). 
It is, however, so much added to and revised, that it almost amounts 
to anew work. At the same time, we very greatly regret to see that the 
useful bibliographies formerly given at the end of each section have 
now been omitted. On the other hand, certain omissions to which we 
called attention have been supplied. Chlamydoconcha finds a place, 
and some of the more important fossil families are inserted in the 
systematic part, which otherwise remains unaltered. <A revised phylo- 
