1896 | CURRENT LITERATURE 63 
of plants in relation to others and to geographic and climatological features. 
If any one desires to see what this suggestion means in detail he would do 
well to examine the first volume of this projected Vegetation der Erde,namely, 
Willkomm’s Grundztige der Pf tung auf der iberischen Halbinsels 
The Iberian peninsula is particularly well suited for a special study of 
this kind, cut off as it is from the rest of Europe by the Pyrenees. While its 
limit is thereby defined its interior presents exceedingly diversified conditions, 
the rainfall alone varying from less than 300™™" in small regions about Sala- 
manca and Lérida, to over 1600™™" about Santiago and Roncesvalles, while 
a large part of the table-land of Old Castile, New Castile, and Aragon receive 
less than 400™™, With six mountain systems, in five of which peaks and 
chains reach the alpine region, and in one the snow-line with peaks of 11,000 
feet ; with a coast line of 2250 miles, sometimes abrupt, sometimes sand dunes 
backed by marshes, as diversified a surface as can well be imagined is presented. 
After giving an account of the history and literature of botanical explo- 
ration in the peninsula and its physical features, Willkomm discusses the 
peculiarities of the combination of the Iberian flora and its biological statis- 
tics; the distribution of the plant formations ; the limits of various species 
whose polar or equatorial limit is therein reached ; and the relation of the 
Spanish-Portuguese flora to that of neighboring countries and islands. 
The second part, which constitutes the larger partof the book, depicts 
the formations and the collective vegetation in each of the five districts into 
which he divides the region, viz., the Pyrenaic, North Atlantic, central Medi- 
terranean, south Atlantic, and west Atlantic. An appendix treats of the 
changes in the vegetation through cultivated and adventive plants. 
It is impossible for any foreigner to criticise such a work, whose details 
must be tested by local botanists; but it cannot fail to leave an impres- 
sion of great thoroughness. To it the venerable author had devoted a good 
share of his life. It was fortunate indeed for us that he was able to complete 
the manuscript and to see more than half of it through the press before his 
eath a few months ago. A more auspicious beginning of Engler and 
Drude’s great work could scarcely have been made. 
From the publisher's point of view the book is faultless. The two maps, 
one showing isohyetes and the other the steppes and the vegetation limits, are 
exquisite specimens of modern cartography. —C. R. 
ra 
MINOR NOTICES. 
Dr. T. F. ALLEN has published another fascicle of his Characee of Amer- 
%ca, being part II, fascicle 3. Ten species of Nite//a are described, and 
i *‘WILLKomM, Moritz. Grundziige der Pflanzenverbreitung auf der iberischen 
aibinsel. 8vo, pp. xvi -+395,/. 27, pl. 2, maps 2. Leipzig: Wilhelm Engelmann. 
I M. 12 unbound; M. 13.50 bound, 
