36 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIX. No. 470. 



collection of the limb bones of Camarasaurus 

 from the Eeed Quarry. The fourth expedi- 

 tion went into South Dakota and northern 

 Wyoming, under Mr. Barnum Brown, and 

 resulted particularly in the discovery of abund- 

 ant mosasaur and plesiosaur material. - 



The explorations of the Carnegie Museum 

 have been described by Mr. Hatcher in a re- 

 cent number of Science. 



Mention should also be made of the continu- 

 ation of the explorations in the Triassic under 

 Professor Merriam, of the University of Cali- 

 fornia, as well as of the cave fauna in Shasta 

 County, a description of which has already 

 appeared in Science. H. F. 0. 



BOTANICAL NOTES. 

 THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



The appearance of the Fourteenth Annual 

 Report of the Missouri Botanical Garden cov- 

 ering the year ending December 31, 1902, 

 enables us to note the rapid growth of this 

 institution. The report shows that the in- 

 come from all sources for the year was $127,- 

 142.50 and that considerably more than one 

 half of this amount was expended on the gar- 

 den, including library, herbarium, salaries, etc. 

 The total number' of species of plants now in 

 cultivation in the garden is 11,551, which is 

 more than double the number grown in 1895. 

 The herbarium now includes 427,797 speci- 

 mens. During the year there were added no 

 less than 62,844 sheets of specimens. The 

 botanical library was increased by more than 

 2,000 books and pamphlets, bringing the total 

 number up to about 42,000. Other interesting 

 statistics are given, showing that the garden 

 has been an active agent in the promotion of 

 botanical knowledge. 



The bulk of the volume is taken up with a 

 paper by Alfred Rehder under the title of 

 ' Synopsis of the Genus Lonicera,' covering 

 206 pages, and including twenty full-page 

 plates. The lapse of seventy years since the 

 last general revision of the genus in the fourth 

 volume of DeCandolle's ' Prodromxis ' makes 

 such a paper as this especially necessary. 

 This is shown by the fact that of the 154 spe- 

 cies recognized in this monograph, but 42 

 occur in the ' Prodromus.' The conservative 



treatment accorded to the genus is indicated 

 by the small number of new species (eleven, 

 only) which the author has described. Such 

 moderation, after the ' lying fallow ' of this 

 particular botanical field for so long a time, 

 should put to shame our ' species makers.' 

 In this the Missouri Botanical Garden has 

 rendered a distinct service to botanical science. 



AN elementary JOURNAL OP MYCOLOGY. 



About a year ago Professor Kellerman, of 

 Columbus, Ohio, began publishing a leaflet for 

 the benefit of those who wish to learn some- 

 thing about the fungi. He called it the Ohio 

 Mycological Bulletin and filled it with excel- 

 lent photoengravings of the larger fungi. 

 With each picture was given a simple descrip- 

 tion adapted to the understanding of ' children 

 in years and children in knowledge.' It has 

 been so successful that practically all of the 

 earlier numbers have been exhausted. The 

 first volume, which includes twelve numbers 

 aggregating forty-eight pages, closes with a 

 good index. With the last number a title 

 page for the volume is supplied. The new 

 volume is to start with the new year, and it is 

 announced that ' the frequency of issue during 

 the year will depend on the financial receipts.' 

 The hope is expressed that two numbers a 

 month may be issued during the spring and 

 fall. For teachers in the public schools who 

 wish to learn to know the commoner large 

 fungi nothing better than this is published 

 anywhere. 



some recent papers on SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



WiLLUM E. Maxon in the ' Contributions 

 from the United States National Herbarium ' 

 (Vol. VIII., part 3) publishes 'A Study of 

 Certain Mexican and Guatemalan Species of 

 Polypodium' in which he notices eight species, 

 five of which are new to science. Two good 

 plates illustrate the paper. 



In the September number of the Bulletin 

 of the Torrey Botanical Cluh Dr. G. IST. Best 

 revises the mosses of the genus LesTcea, so far 

 as the North American species are concerned. 

 Ten species are recognized, two of which are 

 new. He finds two new varieties also. The 

 paper is accompanied with two plates showing 

 structural details. 



