124 



NATURE 



[June i i, 1908 



terraces of Rotomahana, actually increased the 

 activity of the New Zealand fifeysers, until they cul- 

 minated in the eruptions of W'aimangu, the greatest 

 of known geysers. Some of the opinions expressed 

 by the author may not be generally followed. He 

 holds that the diamond-bearing block of nickel-iron 

 found in the Diablo Can3'on was of volcanic origin, 

 and not a meteorite. According to him, the lateral 

 secretion hypothesis "ne compte plus guere 

 d'adeptes "; and he refers to the impregnation theory 

 for the banket of the Rand as if it were universally 

 accepted, although during recent years the majority 

 of the Rand mining engineers who have had previous 

 experience of placer deposits have rejected the theorv. 



Each chapter is followed by a bibliographic list, of 

 which one striking feature is the rarity of reference 

 to British geologists even when dealing with British 

 rocks and problems. Thus the chapter upon coals and 

 lignites includes several references to British materialar 

 but there is no mention of British authors on pateo- 

 botany or its problems; and though the rock classifi- 

 cation accepted follows the lines established bv the 

 British school of petrography, a student might read 

 the chapter on igneous rocks and its bibliographic list 

 without a suspicion that any British author had ever 

 taken any interest in petrography. 



At the close of the volume the author discusses the 

 displacement of shore lines, the possible instability of 

 sea-level, and the views of Prof. Suess, and he gives 

 an interesting statement of the tetrahedral theory. 

 Though he confesses that the bases of this theory are 

 still uncertain, he thinks that tetrahedral deformation 

 of the earth may be the solution of the hitherto un- 

 solved problems of orogenetic movements. 



J. W. G. 



BOTANICAL PHOTOGRAPHS. 



Vegetationsbildcr. Edited by Dr. G. Karsten and 

 Dr. H. Schenck. Series iii. (parts 4-8), iv. (parts 

 1-8); v. (parts 1-8). (Jena : Gustav Fischer, 1906-7.) 

 Price 20 marks each series, or 4 marks for separate 

 parts. 



IVr OTICES of earlier series of this excellent pub- 

 -1- ^ lication, that is due to the enterprise of the pub- 

 lishing firm of Gustav Fischer, appeared in Nature 

 of November 2, 1905 (vol. Ixxiii., p. 4). Any doubts 

 that may have existed as to the success of the venture 

 have been dispelled, and it may be expected that series 

 will follow series for some time to come. Each num- 

 ber containing one or more parts is complete in itself, 

 and the various numbers in a series refer, as a rule, 

 to different countries. 



Dr. H. Schenck contributes the photographs re- 

 produced in series iii., part 4, of trees characteristic 

 of the Mediterranean region, of which the olive and 

 cypress are the most important. The island of Socotra 

 furnishes the subject of the next part. Although ex- 

 plored with successful results by the Forbes-Ogilvie 

 expedition, .■\ustrian botanists on a more recent visit 

 also obtained many new plants. About one-third of 

 NO. 2015, VOL. 78] 



the flowering plants are endemic, including the curious 

 trees Dendrosicyos socotrana and Adenium soco- 

 tranum, with conical swollen stems. Dr. E. Zeder- 

 bauer provides the illustrations of the dry inner re- 

 gions of Asia Minor. A typical scene shows scattered 

 cushions of Astragalus and Acantholimon with inter- 

 spersed plants of Verhascum olympicum. A double 

 number is devoted to the small island Koh Chang, 

 near Bangkok, where Dr. J. Schmidt obtained verv 

 successful photographs of the pneumatophores of 

 Avicennia, Sonneratia, and Xylocarpus; .a singular 

 plant is the orchid Eria semiconnata, bearing button- 

 like tubers that are studded over the rocks. 



The fourth series opens with an account of myrme- 

 cophilous plants found by Mr. E. Ule in the Amazon 

 region ; species of Cecropia, Triplaris, and Tachigalia 

 are illustrated. Two separate parts referring to 

 German territory in \\'est Africa are contributed by Dr. 

 W. Busse. The former deals with primitive forests and 

 modern steppe formations in the southern part of 

 Togo ; the other depicts economic trees such as the 

 oil palm and shea-butter tree. Mr. C. Skottberg is 

 responsible for a double number in which Tierra del 

 Fuego, the Falkland Tsles. and the island of South 

 Georgia are illustrated. On the mainland, trees of 

 Nothofagus give form to the landscape ; on the islands 

 the umbelliferous plant Bolax glebaria, tussock-grass, 

 Poa flabcUata, and Acacna adscoidens furnish char- 

 acteristic formations. Photographs of algal vegeta- 

 tion in the Faroe Islands have been supplied by Mr. 

 F. Borgesen. Scenes from Arizona represent the work 

 of Mr. C. A. Purpus. They include photographs of 

 pines and some markedly xerophytic types, such as 

 Cereus giganteus. Mr. A. Th. Fleroff has selected 

 the water and swamp vegetation of mid-Russia for 

 reproduction in the last part of the series. 



A double number containing a continuous ecological 

 account of the formations in the districts of the Eifel 

 and Venn begins the fifth series. The authors, Drs. 

 M. Koernicke and F. Roth, have shown great skill in 

 their photographs of the ground vegetation. A number 

 made up of three parts is devoted to photographs in 

 northern Russia, some representing conditions in the 

 coniferous region, others taken from the subarctic 

 zone, that depict Rubtis chamaemorns, Senecio arc- 

 ticiis, and " tundra " moors. Photographs of Spanish 

 vegetation by Dr. M. Rikli illustrate the only in- 

 digenous European palm, Chamaerops liiimtlis, the 

 date palm, and esparto-grass, Macrochloa tcnacissima. 

 The dry season in the country around IJgogo, in Ger- 

 man East Africa, furnishes the subject of another part 

 contributed by Dr. W. Busse. Commiphora trees, 

 bushes of Adenium obtusuin, and Acacia spirocarpa, 

 one of the " umbrella " Acacias, are selected for 

 illustration. The final number in the series deals with 

 the vegetation of the Mexican mountains Ixtaccihuatl 

 and Popocatepetl. The author, Mr. C. .\. Purpus, has 

 selected illustrations of Pinus Hartwcgii growing at 

 the tree limit, and of Senecio calcarcus and grasses 

 in the subalpine region. Draba Pringlci, Arcnaria 

 bryoides, and Alchemilla pinnata are shown in the 

 photographs of the higher Alps. 



