Mat 11, 1883.] 



SCIENCE. 



405 



tional species that have been detected since 1860, the 

 date of original publication. These additions com- 

 prise 64 genera and 383 species, besides 46 species 

 and 19 genei'a that are certainly introduced plants. 

 Rather more than half of these species are from 

 Florida. No changes of any kind are made in the 

 original text, a revision of which must probably await 

 the completion of the Flora of North America. — 

 s. w. [837 



Fern distribution in the United States. — The 

 ferns of the United States now number 164 species 

 (representing 32 genera), an increase of 39 in the 

 last eight years. It is probable that the number is 

 still by no means complete, and that others may be 

 expected especially from the mountains bordering 

 the Mexican boundary, and from the peninsula of 

 Florida. Mr. Davenport gives a list of the known 

 species, and their distribution among the states and 

 territories. From his tables it appears that New 

 York takes the lead in the number of species (52) 

 that are credited to it, followed by California (48, 

 with 4 others in doubt), Arizona (47, and 3 in doubt), 

 Florida (47, and 2 doubtful), Michigan (47), Vermont 

 (45), Pennsylvania (42, and 2 doubtful), Massachu- 

 setts (42), Kentucky (41, and 2 doubtful), Arkansas 

 and Connecticut (41), etc. Six of the genera and 

 twenty-four species are found only in Florida; one 

 genus (Schizaea) is represented within the United 

 States only in New Jersey; and, on the other hand, 

 Pteris aquilina occurs in at least thirty-nine, and 

 Asplenium Trichomanes and Adiantum pedatum in 

 thirty-five out of the forty-eight states and territories. 

 — [Juurn. Amer.phil. soc.,'Eeb., 1883.) s. w. [838 



Araceae. — Dr. Engler continues his contributions 

 supplementary to his monograph of the Araceae 

 in De Candolle's Monographia, proposing two new 

 monotypic genera, — Synandrospadix, from the Ar- 

 gentine Kepublic; and Oligogynium, from tropical 

 Africa. He approves of Baillon's adoption of Kich- 

 ardiaas the older name of the Rubiaceous genus now 

 generally known as Richardsonia, and follows him in 

 the consequent restoration of Sprengel's name, Zan- 

 tedeschia, for the 'Calla lily' (Richardia Aethiopica) 

 and its congeners. — {Engler's hot. iahrb., March, 

 188.3. ) s. w. [839 



(Fossil plants.) 



Relations of Lepidodendron, Sigillaria, and 

 Stigmaria. — A new memoir by M. Renault answers 

 the critical remarks of Prof. Williamson and Dr. 

 Hartog of Manchester, against the conclusions reached 

 in his Cours de botanique fossile (see p. 397). The 

 English anatomists find no marked difference in the 

 composition of the wood of Sigillaria and Lepidoden- 

 dron, which is, in both, of a single centripetal zone of 

 tissue. Both are, therefore, true lycopodiaceous or 

 cryptogamous plants. M. Renault considers the wood 

 of Sigillaria as composed of two distinct zones; — an 

 internal, of centripetal growth; an external, centrifu- 

 gal, with distinct agglomeration of tracheae of the 

 woody cords of the leaves, — centripetal in traversing 

 the inner zone of the wood, centrifugal in passing 

 through the secondary, which covers the trachean 

 mass. This double woody zone relates Sigillaria to 

 the Cycadeae or to the dicotyledonous gyniaosperms. 

 This last opinion has been already sustained by 

 Brongniart. — {Consid. rapp. Lepid. SirjiU- et Stir/m.. 

 Paris, JV/assoii, 1883. ) L. L. [840 



Tertiary flora of Australia. — From observations 

 made at Dalton, New South Wales (eocene horizon), 

 and in the Travertine of Hobart Town, Tasmania 

 (mioceue), Baron von Ettingshausen finds that the 

 tertiary flora of Australia is far more nearly allied to 



the tertiary floras of the other continents than to the 

 living flora of Australia. It appears not improbable, 

 therefore, that the numerous forms which character- 

 ize the latter have been developed out of pliocene or 

 post-tertiary forms of plants, thus far unknown to 

 geologists. The existence at the present time of char- 

 acteristic non-Australian genera in the flora of the 

 continent is traced back to the tertiary period, in 

 whose deposits remains of such forms as Fagus, 

 Tabernaemontana, and Elaeocarpus, have been dis- 

 covered. — (Geo(. ma(/., April, 1883.) A. H. [841 



ZOOLOGY. 



Protozoa. 



Development of Volvox. — Miss S. G. Foulke 

 presented a communication upon the development of 

 Volvox globator and its separated gonidia or repro- 

 ductive spores. It was stated that in one case some 

 of the gonidia freed themselves fi-om the protoplasmic 

 envelope, breaking the connecting filaments, and 

 swam away. In some instances these free gonidia 

 passed into an encysted state; in others, attached 

 themselves by the remains of the filament to other 

 substances, thus using it as a footstalk, and presented 

 the appearance of Vorticella. Many of the free go- 

 nidia regained in a free swimming state. Others re- 

 mained in the Volvox, developed in Amoebae, and 

 emerged, after enveloping and digesting some of the 

 neighboring gonidia. These Amoebae afterwards 

 took the form of Amoeba radiosa, and then returned 

 to their former state, seeming to have the power of 

 using either shape at pleasure. As the parent Vol- 

 vox belongs to the microscopic Algae, or water-plants, 

 the change of its spores to a form in all resjiects 

 apparently identical with an animalcule furnishes 

 another interesting illustration of the approximation 

 of the lowest animal and vegetable organisms. — 

 {Acad. nat. .sc. Philad.; meeting Feb.' 20.) [842 



Dimorphism in fossil Foraminifera. — MM. 

 Schlumberger and Munier-Chalmas find that ceitain 

 fovaminlferal forms — otherwise undistinguishable 

 from each other, except in the matter of size, and 

 therefore specifically identical, as far as external 

 characters alone would indicate — exhibit in the dis- 

 position of the central chambers some well-marked 

 differences of structure, hitherto recognized as being 

 of specific or even subgeneric value, but which appear 

 to be entirely dependent upon the ages of the individ- 

 uals concerned. In young individuals, as indicated 

 by tests of small size, a relatively very large central 

 initial chamber is distinctly visible; whereas, in the 

 older or larger specimens, this chamber can only be 

 determined by means of a powerful magnifier. This 

 so-called dimorphism was found to obtain in both the 

 perforate and imperforate groups, — in Numniullna, 

 Assilina, Biloculina, DiUina, Fabularia, Lacazina, Tri- 

 loculina, TriUina, Quinqueloculina, Pantallina, Het- 

 erillina. — (iJeB. .sdeni., March 31.) A. H. [843 



Worms. 

 Anatomy of Terebellides. — The anatomy and 

 histology of T. Stroemii M. Sars has been investi- 

 gated by Steen at Kiel. The drawings on the three 

 plates are too schematic in character to inspire abso- 

 lute confidence. The published article takes the form 

 of a complete monograph, but consists substantially 

 of a detailed description of the external form and 

 appendages, and of the Internal anatomy and his- 

 tology. The various organs are taken up in succes- 

 sion, .and excellently treated; but the details are 

 hardly adapted for a brief abstract, although they 

 will be valuable in compiling a comparative histology. 

 — (Jena, zeilschr. naturw., xvi. 201.) c. s. M. [844 



