Aphii. 6, issa.] 



SCIENCE. 



259 



lire is low, are covered with vajjors from these warm 

 waters. Rain is heavy on the eastern coast (winter 

 months), and the rivers are frequently in flood. — 

 (Bxdl soc. georjr. Paris, 1882, 593; map.) yv. m. d. 



[553 



BOTANY. 

 ( General and pftyslological.) 



Effect of electric light on vegetation. — From 

 experiments conducted at the Palais d'iudustrie dur- 

 ing the electric exhibition of August, 1881, P. P. 

 D^he'rain concludes that the electric arc emits some 

 rays injurious to vegetation, which ai-e, for the most 

 part at least, arrested by colorless glass. The light is 

 sufficient to maintain mature plants in vegetation for 

 two months and a half, and is decidedly beneficial to 

 plants which ol)tain only diffuse daylight, but can- ■ 

 not effect the i-ipening or germination of seeds. — 

 (Electrician, Fel). 10.) " .j. t. [554 



Nettles as artillery-plants. — L. H. Bailey, inn., 

 finds, that, under favorable circumstances, Urtica gra- 

 cilis exhibits an elastic erection of stamens, coupled 

 with dehiscence of their anthers, which scatters the 

 liberated pollen in puffs. The same phenomenon is 

 recorded for this and other genera of Urticaceae by 

 a number of writers. — Ujot. gazette, Feb.) w. T. 



[555 



Fertilization of Catalpa speciosa. — According 

 to the observation of one of Prof. Beal's students, 

 only large bumblebees brush anthers and stigma, and 

 so pollinate the flowers while gathering their nectar. 

 The stigma is sensitive, its lobes closing after being 

 touched. The mode of fertilization of this species 

 is similar to that of the common southern species 

 with which it was long confounded. — {Bot. gazette, 

 Feb. ) w. T. [556 



The formation of starch out of sugar. — It is 

 not yet known with certainty what is the first product 

 of assimilative activity in a vegetable cell containing 

 chlorophyll. Among the views most widely held may 

 be cited those of Sachs and of Boehm. The former 

 regards it as highly probable that the first and direct 

 product is starch, while the latter holds that it is one 

 or more of the sugars. As is well known, starch- 

 grains are found in chlorophyll-granules after expo- 

 sure to light. But Boehm thinks that the presence 

 of starch iu the granules of chloroijhyll is no proof 

 that this is the first product of assimilation, since it 

 might have been formed there by the changes in other 

 and simpler carbohydrates. That such changes may 

 take place is rendered more than possible by his dis- 

 covery that starch can be made in chlorophyll-gran- 

 ules out of sugar arllficially furnished the plant. 

 Nor does it, according to him, make much, if any, 

 difference which of the sugars is used for the experi- 

 ment. His method of experiment appears to be open 

 to criticism, but is simple and ingenious. In the 

 main, it consists in supplying to cut surfaces of her- 

 baceous x^arts a dilute solution of sugar, being careful 

 to avoid too great concentration of the liquid. The 

 result of this administration of elaborated food is 

 immediate. Starch-grains appear at once in the 

 chlorophyll-granules, and the leafy shoots keep fresh 

 and active for six weeks. — (Bot. zeit., Jan. 19 and 

 26, 1883.) G. L. G. [557 



{Systematic.) 

 A ne-w Oxytheca. — An Oxytheca from the Mo- 

 have region, California, described by Dr. Parry, is the 

 eighth of that genus, which is now quite polymor- 

 phous in its character. This species is especially dis- 

 tinguished by the spreading, several-flowered invo- 

 lucre, which is cleft nearly to the base, the segments 



closely resembling the bracts. — (Bull. Torr. hot. club, 

 Feb., 1883.) s. w. [558 



Ne-w species of Agrostis. — Two small sub-alpine 

 species of Agrostis are described by Dr. Vasey, — one 

 from the San Bernardino Mountains, California; the 

 other, from Mount Adams, in Washington Territory. 

 The author does not recognize Mount Adams and 

 Mount Paddo as only different names for the same 

 peak. — (Bull. Torr. bot. club, Feb., 1883.) s. w. 

 '■ [559 



Ne-w Passifloreae. — Dr. Masters proposes a new 

 genus (Mitostemma), remarkable for its peculial- 

 corona, consisting of numerous thick thread-like pro- 

 cesses arranged in a triple series at the throat of the 

 very short flower-tube, and having the hypogynous 

 stamens separate from the gynophore. Two species 

 are described, from Brazil and British Guiana; also 

 a new species of Tacsonia, and five of Passiflora, one 

 of the latter from Mexico, the rest from tropical 

 South America. — (Journ. hot., Feb., 1883.) s. w. 



[560 



Selaginella tortipila. — Mr. Baker, in the synop- 

 sis of the genus Selaginella, which he has commenced, 

 reduces this supposed species of the higher AUegha- 

 nies to a form of the very widely distributed S. ru- 

 pestris. — (Jorira. &o«., Feb., 18S3.) s. -w. [561 



(Fossil plants.) 

 Permian Ginkgos and other fossil plants.— 



Saporta describes a Salisburia, or Ginl;go, from speci- 

 mens commimicated by M. Grand'Eury from the 

 Permian of I|ussia. The author considers the plant 

 as a representative of the most ancient species of 

 Ginkgo, and calls it Salisburia primigenia; remarking, 

 that, until now, the Ginkgo has not been known lower 

 than the Ehetic. This is contradicted by the discov- 

 ery made by Profs. Fontaine and White, in the Per- 

 mo-carboniferous of Virginia, of fine large leaves, very 

 similar to those of Salisburia, described and figured 

 under the name of Saportea Salisburioides and S. 

 grandifolia (^'e(;0)Jd geol. survey Penn., PP, i)l. 38). 

 If M. Saporta has not seen the specimen, he has at 

 least seen these figures of the leaves, and admitted 

 their close affinity to Salisburia, — an affinity sup- 

 ported by the presence of leaves of Baiera in the same 

 strata. The memoir describes also a new species of 

 Nelumbium, from the lignites of Faveau. Bonches du 

 Rhone, and mentions a number of plants discovered 

 under the volcanic ashes of Kantal, lower pliocene. 

 Some of the specimens represent tertiai-y types, like 

 Abies intermedia, a new species; Corylus insignis, 

 Heer; Planera Ungeri, Ett. ; Acer pseudo-campestre, 

 XJng. ; Tilia expansa. Sap. ; and Pterocarya denticu- 

 lata, Web. Of species living at the present epoch, 

 he quotes Salix mauritanica, Def. : Viburnum 

 pseudo-tinus. Sap., nearly id'entical to Viburnum 

 rugosum, Per. ; a Kuscus, like R. aculeatus ; a Ranun- 

 culus, like R. philonotis; and Fagus'sylvatica-pliocen- 

 ica, whose organs of fructification have been found. 

 The leaves show a gradual passage to the European 

 species, while they are evidently related to the Ameri- 

 can Fagus f^rruginea, Michx. — ( Compter rendu s, April 

 3, 10, 1882.) I,. L. [562 



ZOOLOGY. 



Report on the mollusks of the north Atlantic. 



— The Norwegian north Athmtic expedition, under 

 the direction of Prof. H. Mohii, during 1870-78, 

 made, as is well known, valuable researches into the 

 biology, as well as the hydrography, of the deep sea 

 between Norway, Spitzbergen. and Jan Mayen. Sev 



