1906] CURRENT LITERATURE 225 
close of the glacial period. He concludes also that the differences in the basal 
deposits of these moors as compared with those of the higher Cross Fell district 
(upon which he reported earlier) indicate the relative time of origin.— E. N 
TRANSEAU. 
Aberrant chromosomes.—The discovery of chromosomes of different sizes in 
the same nucleus in plants suggests that the attention of botanists be called to the 
terminology just proposed by MontcomeEry for aberrant chromosomes in Hemip- 
tera.3? The term chromosomes is retained when ‘all the chromosomes of a nucleus 
are alike; when they are unlike, the name autosoma or autosome is applied to a 
chromosome of the usual form, and allosoma or allosome to an aberrant chro- 
mosome. Unpaired allosomes are monosomes, and paired allosomes are diplo- 
somes.—CHARLES J. CHAMBERLAIN. 
Iron-algae.—After observation in the field and a study of cultures, 
GaIDUKov%3 concludes that a Conferva found by him in overflow pools of the 
Ocka river near Rjasan accumulates iron oxid from the waters, just as other 
algae do calcium carbonate or silica. He thinks such iron secretion not peculiar 
to the bacteria, but characteristic of many organisms, not as a necessary life- 
process, but as an adaptive one. In the present case it seems to be protective to 
the akinetes, which, eos down by the iron oxid, sink to the bottom and 
so pass the winter.—C. R. B 
Photosynthesis and reste. Poxiacct34 announces that electric energy, 
when it does not exceed a given intensity, promotes very much the formation of 
starch in leaves, and that this effect is greater with a continuous current passing 
directly into the interior of the organs. Electrified leaves almost deprived of 
light in some cases showed starch formation, when, in the same illumination, 
unelectrified leaves did not. In view of the recent English work on photosyn- 
thesis these conclusions should be received with reserve— C. R. B 
_ Formation of proteids.—MonTEMARTINI’S is attacking this much investigated 
problem. His first paper clears the ground, records once more a good part of 
the extensive bibliography, and details two experiments, which lead to the con- 
clusion that the production of proteids is greater in light than in darkness, and 
greater in light and air minus CO, than in light ‘and normal air. Likewise it is 
fivefold greater in the day than in the night, and he proposes to analyze the 
relation of light to this result in his later experiments.—C. R. B 
32?MontTGoMERY, THos. H., The terminology of aberrant chromosomes and 
their behavior in certain Hemiptera. Science 23: 36-38. 1906. 
33GarDUKov, N. , Ueber die Eisenalge Conferva und die ang aoa des 
Siisswassers in algemeinen. Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesells. 23 : 250-253- 1905. 
34Pottacct, G., Influenza dell’ electricita sull’ assimilazione pastels Nota 
preliminare. Atti I t. Bot. Pavia II. 11: 7-10. 1905. 
SIL Da L., Primi studi sulla formazione delle sostanze albuminoidi 
nelle piante. Atti R. Ist. Bot. Pavia II. 10: 1-20. 1995. 
