722 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 570. 



results of these labors are now shown in the 

 first fascicle (Vol. I., part 1) of the ' Biblio- 

 graphical Index of North American Fungi ' 

 which appears as * Publication No. 8 ' of the 

 Carnegie Institution of Washington. The 

 author does not include references to merely 

 economic papers, such as those ' on fungicides 

 and other technical and agricultural subjects,' 

 although even these are cited when they con- 

 tain notes of interest to the systematist. Like- 

 wise, papers relating to the physiology and 

 cytology of the fungi are not included (with 

 some exceptions) nor is the literature of the 

 bacteria and saccharomycetes cited. 



The arrangement of the genera is alphabet- 

 ical, with an alphabetical arrangement of the 

 species under each genus. Under each species, 

 the literature is cited in chronological order. 

 As to classification and nomenclature, the au- 

 thor has been conservative, having ' tried as 

 far as possible to avoid changing names in 

 common use for many years.' The ' Sylloge 

 Fungorum ' of Saccardo, and the ' Pflanzen- 

 f amilien ' of Engler and Prantl have been fol- 

 lowed as far as possible. While admitting 

 that ' the present classification of fungi is not 

 one which can be called more than temporary,' 

 the author feels that our knowledge of the 

 fungi of the world is not yet suJB&cient to make 

 it possible ' to form a really natural and scien- 

 tific system.' 



While following the law of priority in re- 

 gard to specific names, the author ' has no 

 scruples in declining to accept many of the 

 names of older writers which have of late 

 been substituted for more modern names, 

 since, from the vagueness of the descriptions 

 and the crudeness of the illustrations, it is im- 

 possible, in the absence of original specimens, 

 to be sure that the species were the same as 

 those to which they have since been applied.' 



In this connection, the significant and 

 pertinent remark is made that " it is best 

 not to make too violent attempts to interpret 

 the older mycologists, but to be content with 

 letting the dead bury their dead. The busi- 

 ness of reviving corpses has been carried alto- 

 gether too far in mycology.' Incidentally, he 

 hopes that the next botanical congress will 

 make a list of names of cryptogams which 



are to be regarded as fixed and exempt from 

 further changes on the grounds of priority. 



Prom remarks in the preface, we infer that 

 the successive parts may be expected to ap- 

 pear without much delay, although it must 

 necessarily take a good deal of time to revise 

 the manuscript and see it through the press. 

 When completed, it will be invaluable to the 

 working botanist, and it is to be hoped that 

 it can be pushed through the press with all 

 possible speed. 



THE FERN ALLIES OF NORTH AMERICA. 



Professor Willard N. Clute has earned 

 the thanks of naturalists of all kinds, from 

 amateurs to professional botanists by bringing 

 out his book, ' The Pern Allies ' (Frederick A. 

 Stokes Co., New York), in which, by means 

 of illustrations and non-technical descriptions, 

 he gives a popular account of the plants which 

 are related to the ferns. They include seven 

 families, namely; Equisetaceae (14 species), 

 Lycopodiaceae (13 species), Psilotaceae (1 

 species), Selaginella'ceae (12 species), Salvini- 

 aceae (3 species), Marsiliaceae (5 species) and 

 Isoetaceae (21 species). There are thus sixty- 

 nine species described in this book, and, since 

 every species is figured at least once, it is 

 easy to see how useful a book this will be for 

 the general reader and the amateur, while at 

 the same time it is likely to prove handy for 

 the professional botanist also. Good keys to 

 the species are given in each family. At the 

 end of the volume is an alphabetical check- 

 list of North American Fern Allies, including 

 many varieties, and this is followed by a 

 simple glossiary. The book is well printed and 

 neatly bound, and deserves a wide sale among 

 all classes of plant lovers. 



the grasses of IOWA. 



Four years ago, the first volume of ' The 

 Grasses of Iowa ' appeared as Bulletin No. 1 

 of the Iowa Geological Survey. That volume 

 was prepared under the joint authorship of 

 Professors Pammel and Weems, of the Iowa 

 Agricultural College, and F. Lamson-Scribner, 

 of the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, and was devoted to a general discussion 

 of the structure, pathology and economic uses 



