January 9, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



47 



ablest men in all scientific lines in the world, 

 and weekly finds its way through the mails to 

 all parts of the Eastern and "Western hemis- 

 pheres. 



From its distinguished editor, J. McK. Cat- 

 tell, this morning a magnificent silver vase was 

 received as a token of appreciation for The 

 !N'e(w Era Printing Company's efforts. With it 

 came this letter: 



Science, 



Editorial Department. 

 Garrison-on-Hddson, N. Y., Dec. 28, 1919. 

 The New Era Printing Company, 



Lancaster, Pa. 



Dear Mr. Sershey: In order to express recogni- 

 tion of the admirable manner in whicli The New 

 Era Printing Company has printed Science for 

 twenty-five years^ and of our friendly relations dur- 

 ing this long period, I am sending a token of ap- 

 preciation. 



Sincerely yours, 



J. McK. Cattell 



From 'base to top the sterling silver vase 

 measures twenty and one-half inches, and is 

 mkDdeled and embellished along exquisitely 

 chaste lines. It is a Lebolt production, hand- 

 hammered, of uncommon weight, and bears this 

 inscription : 



Science, 



1894-1919. 



To The New Era Printing Company. 



In Grateful Appreciation. 



The New Era Printing Company is con- 

 strained to a public appreciation of Editor 

 Cattell's handsome remembrance. " Old friends 

 to cling to ! " — what more apt response or hope 

 for the years to be? — The Lancaster Daily 

 New Era. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



Fossil Plants. By A. 0. Seward. Vol. IV. 



Pp. 543. Cambridge, University Press. 



This, the concluding volume of the Cam- 

 bridge text on fossil plants, is devoted to a 

 consideration of the Ginkgoales, Coniferales 

 and Gnetales. The final proofs were passed 

 in the spring of 1918, but the printing was 

 held up because of war conditions so that a 

 number of recent contributions could not be 



considered. The method of treatment in the 

 present volume is consistent with that of the 

 preceding volumes and the same lack of bal- 

 anced treatment is shown in the present work. 

 To cite but a single instance of this, six lines 

 are devoted to the remains of Ginkgo from 

 North America although Ginkgo is exceedingly 

 well represented in the Mesozoic and early 

 Eocene on this continent. 



As regards the subject matter, a chapter is 

 devoted to the Ginkgoales, recent and fossil. 

 The second chapter considers Ginkgoidium, 

 C zekanowshia, Feildenia, Phoenicopsis and 

 Desmophyllum — genera that are believed to be- 

 long to the Ginkgoales. The third chapter in- 

 cludes supposed Ginkgoalan genera of still 

 more doubtful allegiance. The nine following 

 chapters are devoted to the Coniferales. There 

 is a rather full and excellent accoimt of recent 

 Conifers. These are grouped in the following 

 nine families: Araucarinese Cupressineae, Cal- 

 litrinese, Sequoiinese, Sciadopitineffi, Abietinese, 

 PodocarpineEB, Phyllocladineas and Taxinese. 

 They are considered as probably monophyletic, 

 the Araucarinese being regarded as the most 

 ancient and the Abietinese as the most 

 modern. There are some illuminating discus- 

 sions of vascular anatomy and the view is 

 expressed that the cone scales in the Araucari- 

 nese are morphologically simple ovuliferous 

 leaves, the double cone scales of the Abietinese 

 being derivatives of a simple form of sporo- 

 phyll. Mesembrioxylon is proposed for the 

 fossil woods formerly referred to Podocarp- 

 oxylon and Phyllocladoxylon. The final chapi- 

 ter is devoted to the Gnetales and is without 

 noteworthy features. 



Opinion will difPer as to the necessity or 

 desirability for some of the new generic terms 

 that are proposed, e. g., Ginhgoites for Ginkgo 

 leaves, on the ground that even in the 

 Tertiary forms the confirmatory evidence of 

 flowers and fruits is lacking: Oupressinocladus 

 for vegetative shoots of conifers of a cupres- 

 soid habit : and Pityites for abietineous fossils 

 of uncertain generic relationship. There is 

 but slight profit in compounding confusion 

 and although a conservative attitude is war- 

 ranted in dealing with the vegetative remains 



