918 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIII. No. 1122 



miles in extent — a number mucli exceeding 

 that of the whole of North America north of 

 Mexico. 



The high rain forest of the Blue Mountains 

 in the neighborhood of Cinchona, is especially 

 rich in Pteridophytes and Hepaticse, and offers 

 very exceptional opportunities for collecting 

 material of a great variety of interesting 

 ferns, especially many types which are quite 

 unrepresented in the United States, or at best 

 are represented by a very few extremely rare 

 species. 



The very important order, Marattiales, en- 

 tirely absent from the United States, is repre- 

 sented by species of Marattia and Dancea, 

 abundant and easily collected. The beautiful 

 filmy ferns, Hymenophyllacese, abound and 

 comprise numerous species of JBymenophyllum 

 and Trichomanes. 



Tree ferns of the genera Hemitelia, Cyathea 

 and Alsophila are very abundant, sometimes 

 30-40 feet in height, and the Polypodiaceee are 

 represented by an enormous number of species. 

 The Gleicheniaceffi and Schizseacete are better 

 developed at lower elevations, but may be pro- 

 cured without much trouble. 



Numerous species of Lycopodium and Sela- 

 ginella are common, and at lower elevations in 

 the Blue Mountains one sometimes finds thick- 

 ets of Equisetum giganteum, ten or fifteen feet 

 high. 



In the neighborhood of Cinchona — and in- 

 deed all over the island — the Hepaticse are 

 very abundant, and include many rare and in- 

 teresting forms, which can not be given here 

 in detail. 



Douglas Houghton Campbell 



Leland Stanford Jr. University 



LICHENS AND BRYOPHYTES AT CINCHONA 



The region around Cinchona is remarkably 

 rich in Bryophytes and Lichens. Even in the 

 immediate vicinity of the station excellent 

 collecting grounds are available, such as the 

 trees behind the laboratories, the trail to and 

 through Morce's Gap, and the trail to New- 

 haven Gap. More distant points, such as John 

 Crow Peak, Sir John Peak, Mabess River and 



Doll Wood, yielded additional species in great 

 variety and can be visited without difficulty. 



From the standpoint of the Hepaticse, to 

 which the writer devoted particular attention 

 during his two visits to Jamaica, the epiphyl- 

 lous species and the distinctly tropical genera 

 are perhaps the most striking and interesting. 

 Most of the epiphyllous forms belong to the 

 Lejeunese and include the genera Odontole- 

 jeunea and Leptolejeunea, together with spe- 

 cies of other genera. In addition to the Le- 

 jeunea the tropical genera Symphyogyna, 

 Tylimanthus, Byzgiella, Isotachis and Den- 

 droceros are well represented, and many 

 genera known in northern regions by a 

 single species or by a small number of species 

 here attain a remarkable luxuriance. This is 

 strikingly true of Plagiochila, Lepidozia, Baz- 

 zania, Frullania and Anthoceros. Other north- 

 ern genera, such as Gymnomitrium, Marsu- 

 pella, Jungermannia and Lophozia, are either 

 absent altogether or very sparingly represented. 



The student of taxonomic problems soon be- 

 comes impressed by the imperfection of our 

 knowledge of tropical species and by the diffi- 

 culties of interpreting the older records regard- 

 ing them. It will, in fact, be a very long time, 

 unless the number of workers becomes much 

 greater, before our knowledge can even ap- 

 proach completeness. The study of tropical 

 Bryophytes involves careful work in the field 

 followed by careful study in the laboratory and 

 herbarium, and the facilities offered at Cin- 

 chona and Hope Gardens are probably un- 

 equalled anywhere else in the tropics except 

 at the botanical garden of Buitenzorg. 



A. "W. Evans 



Yale Universitt 



cytological material at cinchona 



The region about Cinchona offers many ad- 

 vantages to one desiring material for cytolog- 

 ieal study. The flora is so varied and profuse 

 that the student of almost any group of plants 

 will there find valuable material. This is 

 notably true of lichens, liverworts, ferns and 

 flowering plants. Much light is frequently 

 thrown on perplexing cytological problems by 

 the study of related genera and species; and 



