July 8, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



55 



Of the Thallophytes the mosses are few, as only 

 50 species are known to occur in the State and 

 16 liverworts ; lichens number 157. Of the 

 Fungi, those growing on wood number 266, 

 those on living plants 445, those on decaying 

 matter 75, aquatic parasites on fishes, etc., 18, 

 and on insects 9. The Algse number 438. 

 The chapter concludes with a discussion of the 

 various biological characters, including pro- 

 tective devices, periods of flowering, seed pro- 

 duction and dissemination. 



The fourth chapter treats of the relations of 

 the natural group of plants dividing them into 

 six groups according to habitat, and giving ta- 

 bles for each of the natural families showing the 

 numbers of species in each inhabiting the differ- 

 ent regions. This repi-esents an immense amount 

 of local work, and it is impossible to give any 

 adequate conception of the careful tabulation 

 which it necessitates. The last chapter treats 

 of the plant formations showing that the floral 

 covering of the earth is not homogeneous, but 

 presents great differences in the kinds and 

 abundance of species as well as variations in 

 the size, habit and habitat of individuals. Such 

 diversities are the direct result of physical and 

 climatic conditions peculiar to more or less re- 

 stricted areas, hence the vegetation of the 

 earth's surface is arranged into groups of defi- 

 nite constitution and more or less definite limits, 

 known as plant formations. Such formations 

 are invariably complex and more or less diffi- 

 cult to determine, j'et they represent a biological 

 community resulting from the forces induced 

 by physiographical and meteorological phenom- 

 ena, and may be defined as a piece of the 

 floral covering, the extent of which is de- 

 termined by a characteristic association of veg- 

 etable organism forming a stretch of land whose 

 limits are biological and not physiographical, 

 but often having the delimitation of some natural 

 boundary. The topics are treated under the 

 following heads : Forest, Meadow, Prairie, 

 Sand hill, Foot hill. Salt marsh. Water plant. 

 Culture and Waste formations. This chapter 

 constitutes perhaps the most readable portion 

 of the book, summing up the results and effects 

 of all previous observations. 



In the appendix certain corrections are made 

 in elevations of various points, and the nomen- 



clature is made to correspond with that of Brit- 

 ton and Brown's illustrated Flora. The four 

 maps show the political boundaries of the State, 

 its topographical characters, the river systems 

 and the natural regions. The index is exten- 

 sive, including both topics and species. 



It will thus be seen that this work indicates 

 the progress of biological studies in recent years, 

 and the long distance from which it is removed 

 from mere lists and catalogues, yet at the same 

 time it emphasizes the importance of thorough 

 systematic and morphological studies, and 

 proves the necessity of broad and correct train- 

 ing in order to be able to accomplish such a task 

 creditably. That this has been so ably done 

 not only reflects credit on its authors, but also 

 on the faculty under whose guidance the work 

 has been accomplished. 



Elizabeth G. Beitton. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 



The American Naturalist for May oj^ens with 

 a paper on the origin of the mammalia by Pro- 

 fessor Henry F. Osborn, presented first at the 

 Toronto meeting of the British Association. 

 The paper especially considers the evidence 

 supporting the hypothesis that the mammals 

 spring from the theriodont reptiles, knowledge 

 of which has been so greatly increased by Pro- 

 fessor Seelye's explorations In the Karoo beds 

 of South Africa. The third chapter of the 

 treatise, on the wings of insects, by Professor J. 

 H. Comstock and Mr. J. G. Needham, treats of 

 the Diptera. Mr. O. P. Hay writes on the 

 classification of Amoid and Lepisosteoid fishes. 



The July number of Appleton's Popular 

 Science Monthly opens with the first of a series of 

 articles on the evolution of colonies, by Mr. 

 James Collier. Mr. E. J. Prindle contributes 

 an elaborately illustrated article on the methods 

 used by the Weather Bureau in forecasting the 

 weather. Professor S. W. Williston writes on 

 saber-toothed cats. The frontispiece is a Por- 

 trait of Maria Agnesi, who was in 1750 nomi- 

 nated professor of mathematics in the University 

 of Bologna. 



The American Anthropologist for June con- 

 tains the following articles : An Ancient Human 

 Effigy Vase from Arizona, by J. Walter 



