602 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 619. 



two genera (e. g., Pucciniastrum, Chryso- 

 myxa, Uredo, Gronartium, Endophyllum, etc.) 

 representing four subfamilies; and Aecidia- 

 ceae, with thirty-five genera (e. g., Bavenelia, 

 Uropyxis, Phragmidium, Aecidium (Gymno- 

 sporangium) , Dicaeoma, etc.) representing 

 five subfamilies. The old genus Uromyces is 

 split into Nigredo, Uromycopsis, Klebahnia 

 and Telospora, while Puccinia is split into 

 Dicaeoma, Allodus, Bullaria and Dasyspora. 

 We hope to present a fuller account of this 

 interesting study in the near future. 



Dr. Arthur and F. D. Kern have published 

 (in Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, vol. 33) a paper 

 on the * North American Species of Peri- 

 dermium/ of form-genus of Uredineae inhabit- 

 ing conifers. The authors distribute the spe- 

 cies of Peridermium among the following 

 actual genera: Goleosporium and Gronartium 

 (on Pinv^), Pucciniastrum and Galyptospora 

 (on Abies, Tsuga and Ephedra), Melampso- 

 rella and Melampsoridium (on Abies and 

 Larix) and ' Ghrysomyxa' (on Picea and 

 Abies). 



CALIFORNIA TREES. 



About a year ago Alice Eastwood issued 

 * A Handbook of the Trees of California ' as 

 one of the ' Occasional Papers ' (IX.) of the 

 California Academy of Sciences. In a thick 

 pamphlet of 86 pages and 57 plates she has 

 given such a popular account of the trees of 

 California as must prove of great use to the 

 botanical students of the Pacific coast. It 

 will be useful also to botanists elsewhere, since 

 it brings together in convenient form the 

 names and descriptions of the trees known to 

 be native of that region. In all, the author 

 includes 134 species, of which 42 are Gymno- 

 sperms. There is but one species of palm 

 and two Yuccas. Of other common genera 

 there are of willows (Salix) 11 species, Popu- 

 lus 3, Juglans 1, Betula 1, Alnxus 3, Quercus 

 13, Celtis 1, Crataegus 2, Acer 4 and Fraxinus 

 3. The state has no native elms, magnolias, 

 lindens, beeches, hickories, chestnuts, persim- 

 mons, nor mulberries, but it has in the Ma- 

 drono (Arbutus menziesii) and the California 

 laurel (JJmhellularia calif ornica) two most 



interesting trees which go far towards making 

 up for the loss of the former. 



An especial interest attaches to this volume 

 because it is one of the last issued by the 

 California Academy of Sciences before its 

 destruction by earthquake and fire, and still 

 more because of the heroism of the author 

 (who is also the botanical curator) through 

 whose faithfulness and bravery some of the 

 collections were saved. Such great devotion 

 to duty, and entire indifference to personal 

 danger as she displayed in the most terrifying 

 experiences compel our highest admiration. 

 Charles E. Bessey. 



The Universitt op Nebraska. 



DEGREES CONFERRED BY THE UNIVER- 

 SITY OF ABERDEEN. 



Among the large number of doctorates of 

 law conferred by the University of Aberdeen 

 on the occasion of its recent quatercentenary. 

 Nature selects the following as especially con- 

 cerned with science: 



Richard Anschutz, professor of chemistry, 

 Bonn; Henri Becquerel, professor of physics, 

 Paris; Sir James Crichton-Browne, Kt., Lord 

 Chancelor's visitor in lunacy; Casimir de Can- 

 dolle, Geneva; Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, 

 chief chemist, U. S. Geological Survey, Wash- 

 ington; Yves Delage, professor of zoology and 

 comparative anatomy, Paris; J. Deniker, li- 

 brarian of the Museum of Natural History, 

 Paris; W. Einthoven, professor of physiology, 

 Leyden; Herbert Mackay Ellis, director-gen- 

 eral, Naval Medical Service, London; Arthur 

 J. Evans, keeper of the Ashmolean Museum, 

 Oxford; Andrew Russell Forsyth, Sadlerian 

 professor of pure mathematics, Cambridge; 

 Sir Archibald Geikie, secretary to Royal So- 

 ciety ; Arnold Hague, U. S. Geological Survey, 

 Washington; H. J. Hamburger, professor of 

 physiology, Groningen; Edward Hjelt, pro- 

 fessor of chemistry, Helsingfors; Harald Hoff- 

 ding, professor of philosophy, Copenhagen; 

 Ferdinand Hueppe, professor of hygiene, 

 Prague; Howard A. Kelly, professor of g3rae- 

 cology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; 

 Surgeon-General Sir Alfred Keogh, K.C.B., 

 director-general. Army Medical Service ; Ru- 

 dolf E. Kobert, professor of pharmacology. 



