154 



THE AMEKICAN MONTHLY 



[August, 



in the cell-walls, but he also states 

 that adjoining cells usually communi- 

 cate by means of openings through 

 which the threads of protoplasm pass. 

 This observation is so utterly at 

 variance with previous experience, 

 that we greatly doubt its accuracy, 

 and regard the statement as very 

 improbable. We are particularly 

 cautious about accepting the conclu- 

 sions concerning the reticulations 

 since Dr. Lester Curtis, of Chicago, 

 thinks he has conclusively proved 

 that the net-work of blood-cells, 

 which Klein and others have so fully 

 described, has no existence in the 

 living cells. Dr. Curtis's article, to 

 which we allude, has not yet been 

 published. 



o 



Fat-cells and their Relations 

 TO Blood-vessels. — Dr. Wm. R. 

 Weisiger, of Manchester, Va., Presi- 

 dent of the Richmond Microscopical 

 Society, has kindly favored us with a 

 bound volume containing an article 

 read by him " On the Relations of the 

 Minute Blood-vessels to the Fat-cells 

 in the Fascia of the Calf's Neck," 

 illustrated by eleven photographic 

 prints and three colored plates. The 

 text covers six pages, and is merely a 

 short description of the salient features 

 of the illustrations, including an 

 account of the processes of staining 

 employed. One of these seems to be 

 original and very successful. A por- 

 tion of the fascia is soaked in a one- 

 half per cent, solution of osmic acid 

 for from half an hour to two hours, 

 then placed in a solution composed 

 of carmine Yt, dr., borax 2 dr., water 4 

 oz. for fifteen minutes, and immedia- 

 tely, without washing, transferred to a 

 saturated solution of picric acid ; then 

 wash quickly and mount in glycerin, 

 acidulated with two drops of formic 

 acid to the ounce. It is not an easy 

 matter to give a satisfactory notice 

 of this book, as the author relies al- 

 most entirely upon the plates for his 

 demonstrations. He traces a very 

 intimate connection between the fat- 

 cells and the vessels and, while one 



cannot say beforehand what parti- 

 cular cells will develop into fat-cells, 

 it is to be observed that " as soon as 

 the slightest approach to the forma- 

 tion of fat in the cells takes place, 

 the nuclei stain intensely blue in 

 haematoxylin preparations." 



Probably Dr. Weisiger can furnish 

 copies of this book to those who 

 desire them. 



Preliminary Catalogue of the 

 Flora of New Jersey. — This is a 

 valuable contribution from the Geo- 

 logical Survey of New Jersey, com- 

 piled by N. L. Britton, with the assis- 

 tance of eminent botanists. Only one 

 side of each leaf is printed, leaving 

 the opposite page blank. It includes 

 both Phanerogams and Cryptogams. 



The lists of Musci and Hepaticae 

 are compiled from the valuable collec- 

 tions of the late C. F. Austin, the 

 Lichens are from a list compiled in 

 the year 1878 by the same author, 

 the Fungi-list was prepared by Mr. 

 J. B. Ellis, and a provisional list of 

 the Characeae was furnished by Dr. 

 T. F. Allen ; the Rev. A. B. Hervey 

 compiled the list of Marine Algae, and 

 Rev. Francis Wolle that of the fresh- 

 water forms. From this brief state- 

 ment it will readily be understood 

 that the work has been well done, and 

 as the books now distributed among 

 botanists are to be returned to the 

 department at the close of the next 

 season, with additions and suggestions, 

 it is probable that the final catalogue 

 will be very complete. 



Botanists can obtain copies by ap- 

 plication to the State Geologist, Prof. 

 George H. Cook, at New Brunswick. 

 o 



Marine Alg^ of New England. 

 — Professor W. J. Farlow's report to 

 the U. S. Fish Commission, upon the 

 algae of New England and the adja- 

 cent coasts, has just been reprinted 

 in a pamphlet of over 200 pages, with 

 fifteen plates. It is intended to in- 

 clude all the marine species of algae, 

 with the exception of the diatoms, at 

 present known to occur on the coast 



