Notices of Memoirs — Short Notices. 661 



III. — Short Notices. 



1. — A Backward Step in Paleobotany. By G. F. Matthew, 

 LL.D. Trans. Koy. See. Canada, ser. ii, vol. vii, sec. iv, p. 113. 



Some years ago the late Sir Wm. J. Dawson described a fine 

 collection of fossil plants from a locality near St. John, and on the 

 evidence which he obtained from them stated their age to be 

 Devonian. 



Lately, other palseobotanists, Messrs. E. Kidston and David White, 

 reviewing this evidence, have come to the conclusion that these 

 plants must belong to the Coal-measures. The present article is 

 written in support of the original view that these ' plant beds ' and 

 their flora are much older. 



Evidence is deduced from the stratigraphy that several eroded 

 terranes lie between the true Coal-measures and the ' plant beds,' 

 and that these must be much older than the former. 



The composition of the flora is also examined, and it is shown 

 that this series contains a number of genera of plants not found in 

 the Coal-measures proper, and that while a small percentage only of 

 the species of the plant beds are identical with those of the 

 Coal-measures of Pennsylvania, about half of these are found in the 

 European Coal-measures. The connection of the plant beds with 

 the Coal-measures, therefore, seems a distant one. 



2. EoYAL Society's Catalogue of Scientific Papers. — The 

 Eoyal Society has issued a circular appealing for funds to enable it 

 to carry out the original scheme of cataloguing the papers contained 

 in scientific periodicals up to and including 1900, of which twelve 

 quarto volumes have already been issued, and the work brought 

 down to 1883. The Society has already spent £14,790 5s. 5d. 

 upon the matter, and now thinks that it might receive a little more 

 financial assistance from others, especially as its expenditure has 

 increased considerably of late years in other directions. They want 

 £12,000, and it should not be difficult to raise the amount. The 

 Society also proposes to issue a subject index for the whole period 

 of 1800-1900, an index which, if properly done, should be of 

 enormous value. It is pleasant to note that both these works are 

 already in hand, and the completion of the author catalogue may 

 be expected in about five years. Dr. Ludwig Mond, who previously 

 gave £2,000, has headed the new list of subscriptions with the 

 magnificent donation of £6,000, and Mr. Carnegie has contributed 

 £1,000. We hope the delicate shade of meaning given to the 

 letters F.E.S. by an eminent expert will be borne in mind by others 

 who have found it an equally valuable asset. 



3. North German Lower Cretaceous. — Dr. A. von Koenen has 

 given a revised classification of the Albien in the Nachricht K. 

 Gesell. Wiss. Gottingen (Math.-Phys.), 1901. This includes the 

 Aptien, Barremien, Hauterivien, and Valanginien, each of which 

 he divides into upper and lower. In the copy of his paper before 

 us, a separate from the author, we note that he has corrected his 



DECADE IV. TOL. IX. — NO. XII. 36 



