JULY 7, 1899.] 
the Devonian, the first known Musci, Hepatica 
and Fungiin the Tertiary. Plant remains in 
glacial deposits are exactly the same as species 
now living a little farther to the north. The 
Carboniferous fern-species which have been 
figured and named outnumber those of the 
whole world now living. The coal flora was 
probably practically identical all over the world. 
Every time a new horizon is opened up, even 
~down to the Tertiary, there are many new fos- 
sil ferns discovered in it. A species in paleo- 
botany simply means a description of a certain 
organism. We may find that some or many of 
these actually belong to the same species. 
Discussion followed, in which Dr, Underwood, 
Mr. Eugene Smith and the Secretary partici- 
pated. Dr. Underwood called attention to the 
descent of the ferns, not from the mosses, but 
probably from earlier generalized ancestors of 
both ; and spoke of the disparity in numbers 
between the fossil and the living ferns of Penn- 
sylvania—45 living, but at least 375 fossil—and 
and asked: ‘‘ How many of the 45 now living 
in Pennsylvania are at present being preserved 
in sediments?’’? Many of them are seldom 
found above ground, to say nothing of their 
occurrence beneath. 
The second subject presented was the exhi- 
bition and description of a hygroscopic plant- 
specimen by Dr. C. J. Hames. The specimen 
was originally described in an article entitled 
‘The Resurrection Flower’ in Harper’s Monthly, 
April,1857, p. 619. Dr. Eames’ specimen seemed 
as if it were the ripened circle of ovaries of some 
malvaceous flower, and displayed very marked 
hygroseopic movement, expanding completely 
within fifteen minutes after moistening. Dr. 
Eames, a chemist, obtained his specimen in 
1860 from Dr. I. Deck, a chemist, who said 
that he had secured this, and one other like it, 
about 1849 when in Upper Egypt. The other 
specimen passed into the possession of Hum- 
boldt. Dr. Eames exhibited specimens of 
Selaginella and Anastatica for comparison, their 
hygroscopic movement being less perfect. In 
the discussion following Dr. Schoeney stated 
that he has retained EHquisetum spores which 
have held their hygroscopic power for ten years 
unimpaired. EDWARD S. BURGESS, 
Secretary. 
SCIENCE. 
27 
BOTANICAL NOTES. 
THE POPULARIZATION OF BOTANY. 
From time to time attempts are made to 
popularize some department of science, with 
less or more success according to the abilities of 
the author. In this country we have had many 
illustrations of how not to do such a work, with 
a few examples which have been successful. 
Botany has perhaps more than any other science 
suffered from the attempts of unprepared au- 
thors, and, as a consequence, we have had a 
swarm of books and booklets filled with all 
kinds of misinformation in regard to plants. 
It is little, if any, better abroad, but there one 
finds, now and then, areally good book which is 
popular in style and yet accurate in regard to 
its matter. Perhaps the explanation of the 
latter fact may be found in the other fact that 
occasionally an eminent botanist undertakes 
the task of writing for the people. One of the 
latest illustrations of this is the third edition of 
Van Tieghem’s ‘Eléments de _ Botanique.’ 
That the author is thoroughly prepared to pre- 
sent the subject needs no discussion here, and 
an examination of the text shows that he has 
been able to present it in such form as to make 
it readable to any one of ordinary ability. 
This result has been attained by the use of 
vernacular terms, or, where these did not 
exist, by the modification of technical terms 
into forms which so nearly resemble the 
vernacular as to be readily accepted by the 
ordinary reader. In this manner the author is 
able to discuss, in successive chapters, topics like 
the following: the body of the plant, the root, 
the stem, the leaf, the flower (in all of which 
the morphology is first taken up and then fol- 
lowed by the physiology), development of the 
phanerogams, formation of the egg and develop- 
ment of vascular cryptogams, formation of the 
egg and development of mossworts, formation 
of the egg and development of thallophytes, 
development of the race. In the second part 
of his book the author boldly takes his readers 
through the difficult field of systematic botany, 
from thallophytes to phanerogams, closing with 
a chapter On the distribution of plants. 
We do not have to agree with what we must 
regard as little better than scientific vagaries in 
some portions of the author’s discussions of the 
