518 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. A'OL. XLVII. No. 1221 



doubt is strengthened almost to a certainty by 

 recollectiou of the fact that the king vulture, 

 which is well known in that region, is of about 

 the same size and general habits as the turkey 

 buzzard, and in plumage almost wholly white 

 or whitish; as Dampier expresses it, "their 

 Feathers looked as if they were sullied." Fur- 

 thermore, he states that the inhabitants of 

 Campeche called them " King-Carrion Crows." 

 It is evident, therfore, that we must identify 

 Dampier's white " Carrion Crows " as king 

 vultures (Gypagus papa). 



It might be well, moreover, in this con- 

 nection, to mention that albinos of the turkey 

 buzzard, or, as it is more properly called, the 

 turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), are by no 

 means extraordinary, though of course not 

 common. The present writer has, during the 

 course of several years, examined a number of 

 specimens ; and among recorded instances we 

 might mention that of Nauman in Florida^ 

 and Gimdlach in Cuba.^ 



Harry C. Oberholser 



Biological Survey, 

 Washington, D. C. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



The Early Mesozoic Floras of Neiu Zealand: 

 By E. A. Aebee. New Zealand Geological 

 Survey, Paleontological Bulletin No. 6. 

 1917. 



Fossil plants have been known from New 

 Zealand for over half a century, but there has 

 never been a comprehensive account of them 

 published, and the wide variations in the 

 opinions of the local geologists and paleon- 

 tologists regarding the ages of the important 

 stratigraphic units has made it impossible for 

 students elsewhere to reach any intelligent 

 understanding of the situation. Such an un- 

 derstanding is especially important in the 

 case of so interesting and strategic a region, 

 and its former relations to Gondwana Land, 

 Antarctica and Australia have long been con- 

 troverted questions. 



The present comprehensive account of the 

 older Mesozoic floras is therefore of great 



2 American Naturalist, IV., August, 1876, p. 376. 



3 AuTc, VIII., April, 1891, p. 190. 



value to paleogeographers and to students of 

 geographical distribution. The more imijor- 

 tant localities from which the fossil plants 

 are described are the Rhtetic of Mount Potts 

 and Clent Hills in Canterbury and the 

 Hokonui Hills in Southland; Owaka Creek 

 in Otago is doubtfully referred to the Rhajtic ; 

 Mokoia and Metaura Falls in Southland are 

 referred to the lower Jurassic; Malvern Hills 

 in Canterbury is doubtfully referred to the 

 lower Jurassic; Waikawa in Southland to the 

 middle Jurassic ; and Waikato Heads in Auck- 

 land to the Neocomian. 



The disputed question of the occurrence of 

 Glossopteris is definitely answered in the 

 negative and it is shown that there was con- 

 siderable specific variation between the Ehae- 

 tic flora of New Zealand and that of Australia, 

 India and South Africa. The Jurassic floras 

 appear to show less specific differences when 

 compared with other areas. The author con- 

 cludes that New Zealand was surely united 

 with Australia during Rhsetic and Jurassic 

 times, but he objects strongly to using the 

 term Gondwana Land for anything post- 

 Paleozoic, although it is obvious that the ex- 

 istence of Gondwana Land as a geographical 

 region did not cease with the close of the 

 Paleozoic. Many geologists have also reached 

 the conclusion that the evidence for the lower 

 Permian age of the glacial period is suffi- 

 ciently good to warrant the dropping of the 

 term Permo-Carboniferous for it, although 

 doubtless this practise will survive indefinitely 

 in more conservative countries like Great 

 Britain. 



It would seem to the reviewer that it would 

 have been preferable to use Mesozoic instead 

 of Mesophytic for the floras discussed, since 

 the latter term has a well-understood eco- 

 logical significance. The perpetuation of the 

 use of Splienopteris for post-Paleozoic fern 

 fragments is also to be deprecated, and it is 

 questionable if clearness of understanding is 

 facilitated by substituting Tceniopieris for 

 Oleandra and Macrotwnioptens. Of great in- 

 terest is the discovery of two forms of dicoty- 

 ledonous leaves in beds referred to the 

 Neocomian. These are described by Professor 



