Literature Relating to Staten Island 103 



they are projectors of ideas rather than mere records of species, 

 be those records ever so accurate. The attempt to explain the 

 origin of the flora centering near the city, and the factors that 

 have played their part in shaping its present composition, has, it 

 seems to the writer, greater value than any enumeration of the 

 species could possibly have." In other words, the author, in 

 common with Harshberger, Stone, and others, is following the 

 line of investigation first broadly indicated by Britton, Hollick, 

 and other observers a quarter of a century ago, due credit to 

 all of whom is freely accorded. 



Staten Island, by reason of its geographic position and its 

 interesting geologic relations to the adjacent mainland, receives a 

 relatively large amount of attention, especially in connection with 

 the discussion of the coastal plain and pine barren floras. The 

 author is able to add but little that is new, locally, either in the 

 way of facts or discussion, as would naturally be expected. On 

 the other hand a somewhat hasty scanning of the pages indicates 

 that very little has been omitted which should have been included. 

 A few errors must inevitably creep into a work of such a scope, 

 however, and where there is so much that is interesting and 

 valuable it may seem hypercritical to mention the few lapses that 

 only careful search can find. So far as our local flora is con- 

 cerned, however, two errors should be noted, viz, Chamaecyparis 

 fhyoides (L.) B. S. P., is recorded as " scattered on western 

 L. I., and on S. I.," although there is no authentic record that it 

 has ever been found on Staten Island, while Acer Saccharum 

 Marsh., is stated to be " unknown on S. I. as a wild plant " ! 



A. H. 

 The Indians of Newark, etc.'' 



This pamphlet of 16 pages and 11 illustrations is a circular of 

 information issued in connection with the Indian exhibits in the 

 Newark, N. J., museum. The, illustrations include a picture of 



9 The Indians of Newark | Before the White Men Came | By Alanson 

 Skinner | of the | American Museum of Natural History | Newark Mu- 

 seum Association | 1915. 



