September 28, 191 1] 



NATURE 



419 



minations and the completeness of his tables of 

 synonymy is fully maintained in this large memoir. 



The work is in the main an enumeration of the 

 species represented in the collection, with lists of 

 synonyms. In the case of many of the rarer or more 

 difficult species, the author has added notes of a critical 

 nature which are often of great value. We may, 

 however, regret that he has not seen his way to give 

 a description of each genus and species involved. Such 

 diagnoses would have added very greatly to the value 

 of the work. As it stands it resembles the shell of a 

 nut without the kernel, and in practice one will require 

 to make use of another work containing such descrip- 

 tions, in conjunction with that now under discussion, 

 whereas one volume might have sufficed. We do not 



sporangia. Turning to the new Lycopods, Lepido- 

 dcudron simile, of which, however, no diagnosis is 

 given, appears to approach L. lycopodioides, Sternb. ; 

 and L. bclgicum sp. nov., a stem in the Ulodendroid 

 condition, which is fully described, has also some 

 points of resemblance to Sternberg's species. The two 

 new Sigillarias are both members of the straight-ribbed 

 section with distant leaf scars, and of the tvpe of 

 S. laevigata, Brongn. 



These and many other fossils are illustrated by 

 twenty-four large plates from excellent photographs, 

 reproduced with exceptional clearness. In the text 

 there are forty-one smaller illustrations, all of a high 

 average. Among these are twelve careful restorations 

 from the author's own pencil of some of the most 



LEPIOOPHLOIOS 

 RestaiKation dapres M. Kidston I 90 1 



CALAMITES SUCKOWi. 

 Restauration d'anrcs M. Kidston 1901. 



overlook the fact thai in the case of a considerable 

 number of genera, including Renaultia, Sphenophvl- 

 lum, and Asolanus anions" others, as well as certain 

 species of Sphenopteris, Sigillaria, and the like, none 

 of which are new to science, a full diagnosis has been 

 included. But in the majority of cases the author has 

 apparently thought any description unnecessary, even 

 where no figure of the plant is given. 



The number of new genera and species discussed is 

 remarkably small. We notice only one new genus, 

 Boweria, and two new species, both of Lepidodendron 

 and Sigillaria. These with a couple of new seeds 

 complete the list of new plants. The new genus is 

 proposed for the reception of a widely distributed plant 

 formerly known as Renaultia schatzlarensis, since its 

 sporangia now prove to be annulate, and the genus 

 Renaultia is reserved for certain plants w-ith exannulate 

 NO. 2187, VOL. 87] 



characteristic types of Carboniferous vegetation, such 

 as Sigillaria elegans, a Lepidophloios, and Catamites 

 suckowi, which are here reproduced. These embody 

 the results of the author's lifelong practical experience 

 of Carboniferous plants, and they are also interesting 

 from the fact that in some cases they differ very 

 remarkably from the restorations which are now to be 

 found in most of our text-books. Without expressing 

 any opinion on the accuracy of Dr. Kidston 's drawings, 

 we must, however, add that if these are faithful por- 

 traits of the plants of the period in question, the 

 Carboniferous vegetation must have been even more 

 weird in aspect than we had imagined. 



Turning next to some further points of interest, we 

 notice that the author, after many years' consistent 

 use of the term Calamocladus for one particular type 

 of Calamite foliage, has now apparently abandoned it 



