194 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND NEWS. 
Part I of Prof. Underwood’s Index Hepaticarum was 
issued in June as one of the Memoirs of the Torrey Botan- 
ical Club. This part is an author catalogue of the 
publications relating to the hepatics, together with a 
topical index. It was amuch needed work and its publication 
is a matter for rejoicing among those interested in this group 
of plants. The announcement is made that Part II will be 
“an index of all the species described, with a reference of each 
to the genera recognized at the present time,” and Part ITI, a 
classified arrangement of the species to show our present 
knowledge of their geographic distribution. It is hoped 
that these remaining parts will soon be issued. 
Tux San Francisco Microscopical Society is apparently one 
of the most steadily progressive of the scientific organizations 
of Western America. The publication of Part I of its trans- 
actions may be taken as an evidence of its present vigor. 
Of the original contributions which this issue contains two 
are paleo-botanical and relate to the famous Santa Monica 
diatomaceous deposit and to marine fossil Diatomaces from 
California. It also appears from the list of papers read 
before the Society, that a goodly proportion of those more 
recently presented are botanical studies on lower forms of 
plant life, in which knowledge of microscopical manipulation 
and technique is essential. The Society’s library is claim 
to be the best collection of microscopical literature on this 
continent. 
Tue Academy of Science of Indiana has determined upon 
a biological survey of that state. Itis the intention of the 
promoters of this survey to publish a complete bibliography 
of materials bearing on the botany, zoology and paleon- 
tology of Indiana, in order to ascertain what has been 
already accomplished regarding the character and extent of 
life in the state. The main purpose will be to make known 
the extent, distribution, biological relations, and economic 
