632 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 568. 



Two wholly new chapters have been added, 

 viz., the ' Nature of the Alternation of Genera- 

 tions,' and ' Fossil Archegoniates.' The whole 

 number of pages in the earlier book is 544, 

 while in the present volume it is 657. So, too, 

 there are 266 figures in the old book, and 322 

 in the new. The amount of enlargement of 

 the bibliography may be estimated from the 

 fact that it covers 13 pages in the first edi- 

 tion, and more than 23 in the second. 



In his closing chapter, the author presents a 

 revision of the summary and conclusions of 

 his earlier book. Briefly, he now holds that 

 the archegoniate series began in the green 

 Algae near Coleochaete; that the Liverworts 

 are the most primitive of existing arche- 

 goniates, and that other groups have descended 

 from them. The peculiar chromatophore of 

 Anthocerotaceae possibly suggests the inde- 

 pendent origin of this group, and this with 

 other structural facts requires that they be 

 accorded higher rank than heretofore, possibly 

 that of a class coordinate with ' Liverworts on 

 the one hand and the Mosses on the other.' 

 Pteridophytes still, consist of three classes, all 

 evidently related to the Anthocerotes, but rep- 

 resenting entirely different lines of develop- 

 ment. The eusporangiate ferns are regarded 

 as the lowest of the Filicinaej Hymenophyl- 

 laceae, while of pretty ancient origin, are re- 

 garded as an aberrant group ; and the Poly- 

 podiaceae constitute the modern fern type. 

 " That heterospory arose in a number of 

 widely remote groups is unquestionable." 

 This suggests the possibility of a multiple 

 origin of the spermatophytes. " Except for 

 their siphonogamic fertilization, Gymno- 

 sperms are much nearer the Pteridophytes 

 than they are to the Angiosperms." " The 

 close resemblance between the Conifers and 

 the Lycopods, especially Selaginella, probably 

 points to a real relationship." Cycads are re- 

 garded as descended from fern-like ancestors. 

 While the position of Isoetales is still in 

 doubt, it is regarded as possible that the 

 Angiosperms may have arisen from them. 



This edition without question must prove 

 to be as helpful and suggestive as the one it 

 supplants, and will be used by all students 



who wish to obtain a clear notion of the struc- 

 ture and relationship of higher plants. 



Charles E. Bessey. 

 The University of Nebraska. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 



The first article in the September number 

 of the American Geologist — ' Pleistocene Fea- 

 tures in the Syracuse [N. Y.] Region,' by 

 Professor H. L. Fairchild — was prepared for 

 the field program of the meeting of Section 

 E of the American Association for the Ad- 

 vancement of Science at Syracuse last sum- 

 mer and is illustrated by two plates. Pro- 

 fessor Charles S. Prosser contributes a paper 

 entitled ' Notes on the Permian Formations 

 of Kansas.' The recent investigations con- 

 cerning the age of the upper Paleozoic forma- 

 tions of Kansas are reviewed and it is shown 

 that the European and American geologists 

 who have studied the subject most carefully 

 in recent years correlate them with the Per- 

 mian. ' The Atlantic Highlands Section of 

 the New Jersey Cretacic ' is described by Mr. 

 J. K. Prather and is illustrated by three 

 plates. Professor William H. Hobbs pub- 

 lishes ' Contributions from the Mineralogical 

 Laboratory of the University of Wisconsin.' 

 It consists of a description of minerals from 

 various localities, illustrated by one plate of 

 metallic copper from Soudan, Minn., and fig- 

 ures of other minerals. 



The leading article in the September- 

 October number of the Journal of Geology 

 is by Professor Rollin D. Salisbury on ' The 

 Mineral Matter of the Sea, with some Specu- 

 lations as to the Changes which have been 

 involved in its Production.' Dr. Reginald A. 

 Daly contributes a paper on ^ The Classifica- 

 tion of Igneous Intrusive Bodies,' which is 

 illustrated by nine figures. Mr. J. K. Prather 

 describes ' Glanconite ' from the (Cretaceous) 

 Greensands of New Jersey and gives a plate 

 of photomicrographs. ' The Mesozoic of 

 Southwestern Oregon ' is described by Mr, 

 George D. Louderback. The rocks are called 

 the Myrtle group or series and the Dillard 

 series. Their lithologic characters, economic 

 relations and areal distribution are well de- 



