November 13, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



G29 



so soon after its original publication, both as 

 a separate volume and as a contribution to 

 the proceedings of a learned society. It is 

 not merely an exposition of conflicting views; 

 it is a decided contribution to the theory of 

 descent, a perusal of which is rendered both 

 interesting and in a high degree instructive 

 by a notable clearness of statement and a 

 judicious and intelligent arrangement of 

 topics. Every student of the theory of de- 

 scent will find it of great value, and an Eng- 

 lish translation, which might render it avail- 

 able for the wide circle of those interested in 

 the present position of the theory of natural 

 selection, is highly desirable. 



It may with propriety be added that the book 

 is furnished with an excellent author and 

 subject index and contains a bibliography con- 

 sisting of over two hundred and sixty refer- 

 ences. J. P. McM. 



SCIEyriFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 



The longer articles of the September and 

 October numbers of the Botanical Gazette 

 are all ecological. They contain the first half 

 of a long contribution to the ecological plant 

 geography of the province of New Brunswick 

 by Professor W. F. Ganong, of Smith Col- 

 lege, entitled ' The Vegetation of the Bay 

 of Fundy Salt and Diked Marshes.' The 

 first instalment discusses the distribution and 

 extent of the marshes (with maps) ; their 

 geological origin and mode of formation ; the 

 economics of the marshes, including crops, 

 prices and mode of reclamation; factors de- 

 termining the ecological features of the marsh 

 vegetation, including a discussion of the rela- 

 tions of water, temperature, light, soil and 

 animals; and after summarizing the ecolog- 

 ical factors the author enters upon a consid- 

 eration of the vegetation of the marshland. — 

 Mr. G. H. Shull, of the University of Chi- 

 cago, gives a thorough account of ' The geo- 

 graphic distribution of Isoetes saccharata,' a 

 plant limited to the fresh-water portions of 

 Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. After 

 listing and mapping the known stations of 

 this plant, the author discusses the causes to 

 which its restricted distribution is due. He 

 considers it autochthonous in Chesapeake Bay 



and the jiarent of Isoetes riparia, its present 

 distribution being explained by the geomor- 

 phic movements of the coastal plain. — Mr. S. 

 B. Parish, of San Bernardino, presents ' A 

 Sketch of the Flora of Southern California.' 

 After an extended statement of the orograph- 

 ical features of the region, the deserts, the 

 drainage system, the geological formations and 

 the climate, he describes the phytogeographic 

 areas and discusses the flora peculiar to each. 

 The interrelations of the different life areas, 

 the physiognomic characteristics of the flora, 

 the distribution of the plants, the statistics of 

 classification and the affinities of the flora are 

 successively presented. The paper closes with 

 a comparison of the flora of southern Cal- 

 ifornia with that of various other regions east 

 and west, and with a few words on the crj^to- 

 gamic flora, which has yet been imperfectly 

 explored. — In the October number Professor 

 John W. Harshberger, of the University of 

 Pennsylvania, presents the first part of 'An 

 Ecological Study of the Flora of Mountainous 

 North Carolina.' The topography, drainage, 

 physiography and geology of the region are 

 described, and also the effect of the physio- 

 graphic changes upon the distribution of ilants. 

 After discussing the phenological distribu- 

 tion of plants the author takes up the influ- 

 ence of glaciers upon the flora of North 

 Carolina and the principles underlying the 

 distribution of plants in eastern America, 

 closing this portion with a consideration of 

 the effect of edaphic factors. — The ' Briefer 

 Articles ' are more varied. In the September 

 number Professor Charles Thorn describes 

 a gall produced by insect larvae upon a deli- 

 cate mushroom, Omphalia campanella, a phe- 

 nomenon which has not been previously re- 

 ported. — Professor W. C. Coker, of the Uni- 

 versity of North Carolina, shows that the 

 usual absence of dorsal air chambers in the 

 genus Dumortiera is dependent upon its 

 semi-aquatic habits, and that it has evidently 

 been derived from forms possessing such 

 structures. He also gives a drawing showing 

 the origin of the branched cells ramifying in 

 the Nostoc-chambers of Blasia pusilla. In 

 the sporangium of Sphwrocarpus terrestris he 

 finds round sterile cells, probably the homo- 



