280 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [APRIL 
an average of one hundred and forty-three per cubic meter. Comparison is 
made with the Mont-Souris results, but no mention is made of Tucker’s 
observations in Boston. Ten organisms, presumably distinct, are described 
with some detail. It is not stated whether the “recommended procedures’’ 
have been employed. The organisms described are characterized as a whole 
by their inability to ferment sugar and to peptonize gelatin.—E. O. JORDAN. 
Miss ETHEL SARGANT™ has published an exceedingly interesting paper 
upon double fertilization, bringing together the contributions to date and 
discussing the questions that have been raised. The bibliography of the 
subject is represented now by at least eighteen titles, and the phenomenon 
has been recorded for about twenty-five species. The author inclines to the 
view that the triple fusion is a true act of fertilization between a male cell 
and an egg, interfered with and rendered abortive by the introduction of the 
non-sexual antipodal nucleus. The result is not a normal embryo, but a 
small and short-lived mass of tissue. Boveri’s experiments with the eggs of 
sea urchins, in which more than one sperm was forced to unite with egg 
nucleus, are cited to prove this probable result of more than double fusion. 
The theory is advanced that the third nucleus is introduced to secure the 
degeneracy of the resulting tissue. If this is true, the definitive nucleus has 
descended from one which was the result of true fertilization, and the partici- 
pation of the third nucleus is an added feature.—J. M. C 
ITEMS OF TAXONOMIC INTEREST are as follows: EDWARD L. GREENE 
(Pittonia 4: 242-284. 1901), in continuing his “ Studies in the Compositae,”’ has 
made a special attack upon Bidens. After an interesting account of the history 
of the genus, of &. frondosa L., and of B. cernua L., he describes twenty new 
species, thirteen of them being American analogues of B. cernua, and seven 
of them segregates of B. chrysanthemoides Mx. B. Beckii is given generic 
rank, and is associated with two new species under the name Megalodonta. 
In the same fascicle new species are described under Conoclinium (3), Eupa- 
torium (8), and Antennaria.—C. S. SARGENT (Rhodora 3: 19-31. Igo!) has 
described thirteen new species of Crataegus from the Champlain valley, 
remarking that this is one of the richest regions in the world for forms of 
Crataegus.—P. A. RyDBERG (Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 28: 20-38. Igo1), in the 
fourth paper of his series entitled “Studies on the Rocky mountain flora,” 
describes new species under Arnica (2), Artemisia, Picradenia, Antennaria, 
Aster, Townsendia, Eri igeron (3), Valeriana, Cam mpanula, Castilleia (3), 
Mimulus, Pedicularis, Pentstemon (3), Polemonium, Gilia, Phacelia, Lap- 
pula, Cryptanthe, Mertensia (4), Mentzelia, Impatiens, Geranium, Lupinus (2), 
Astragalus, Aragallus, Trifolium, and Lath hyrus.—C. V. Preer (dbzd. 39-45» 
in the fifth paper of his series entitled “New and noteworthy northwestern 
es ** Recent work on the results of fertilization in angiosperms. Ann. Bot. 14: 689- 
- 1900. 
