August 16, 1901,] 



SCIENCE. 



261 



months. This is all the m*re notable when 

 we observe that Dr. Chamberlain's name ap- 

 pears on both title pages. 



In the ' Morphology of Spermatophytes ' we 

 have V&xX I. of what is evidently to be a work 

 of considerably larger proportions, the present 

 volume being fragmentary, dealing with the 

 Gymnosperms only, and closing somewhat 

 abruptly, even wanting an index. The pref- 

 ace was evidently written for the complete 

 work, and this fact suggests the intention of 

 the authors to bring out Part II. at no distant 

 day. The part before us takes up stem, leaf, 

 root, microsporangium, megasporangium, fe- 

 male gametophyt*, male gametophyte, fertili- 

 zation, and the embryo, for Cycadales, Gink- 

 goales, Coniferales, and Gnetales, devotes a 

 few pages to fossil Gymnosperms (Cordaitales, 

 Bennettitales, Cycadales, Ginkgoales, and Co- 

 niferales), and a few more to the phylogeny, 

 and geographic distribution of the various 

 orders mentioned above. The volume closes 

 with a most useful bibliography of one hun- 

 dred and ten titles. More than one hundred 

 excellent illustrations (largely original, and 

 often from photographs) add materially to the 

 usefulness of the work. 



This book must prove very helpful to the 

 student who is working along morphological 

 lines, and will tend to bring him back to 

 strictly scientific work, in case he has been 

 wandering through the fogs of so-called ' ele- 

 mentary ecology,' A valuable feature of the 

 book is the citation and discussion of the dif- 

 ferent views held by botanists as to the mor- 

 phology of particular structures. While the 

 conclusions reached are not always those which 

 we can approve, the treatment is such that the 

 student is led to look on all sides of every prob- 

 lem before a decision is reached. We can not 

 accept the authors' views as to the morphology 

 of the structure supporting the ovules of Gink- 

 go (which we hold to be foliar instead of axial), 

 nor that of the ' ovuliferous scale ' of the 

 Abietinse (which we interpret as an enlarge- 

 ment and extension of ovular tissue ; i. e., it is 

 ovular instead of axial or foliar in nature). 



Dr. Chamberlain's book must prove useful in 

 histological work in botanical laboratories in 

 high schools and colleges. The plan of the 



work includes two parts, in the first of which 

 are ten short chapters on apparatus, reagents, 

 the making of mounts, killing and fixing 

 agents, staining and the celloidin and glycerine 

 methods. The author's success as an investi- 

 gator and teacher is a guarantee of the value 

 of the suggestions made in these chapters. 

 The second part is mainly a series of selected 

 examples of algee, fungi, bryophytes, pterido- 

 phytes, and spermatophytes, in which the pre- 

 ceding suggestions ai'e applied. This portion 

 of the book is an admirable introduction to the 

 vegetable kingdom, and must commend the 

 volume to teachers and students. The book 

 closes with a handy chapter of formulae of re- 

 agents, and a good index. 



These works are creditable to the university 

 from which they appear, and deserve to be 



widely used. 



Charles E. Bessey. 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS AND ARTICLES. 

 No. LIII. of the Journal of American Folk- 

 Lore begins with a paper by Dr. J, W. Fewkes, 

 in which he explains and interprets the Katcina 

 worship of the Hopi or Moki of Arizona. 

 The word is used to denote a masked person- 

 age, who, in a ceremonial dance, represents a 

 divine being. Dr. Fewkes shows that these 

 beings are spirits of clan ancestors, who are 

 supposed to return from their dwelling in the 

 underworld. Thus in mortuary prayers, the 

 dying are addressed as about to become Kat- 

 cinas, and are implored to send rain. Of the 

 Katcinas, some are eponyms of Hopi clans; 

 others are imported from abroad, or are imagi- 

 nary creations. Chief of these spirits are the 

 Sun Father and Earth Mother, parents of all 

 clans. With sun worship also are connected 

 some of the festivals ; in the two great feasts 

 of the Katcina clan are dramatized the arrival 

 and departure of the Katcinas, who are sup- 

 posed to leave the pueblo in July and return in 

 February. They are said to go to the San 

 Francisco mountains ; but the underlying idea 

 is that they enter the underworld through the 

 gate of the Sun-house, the situation of which is 

 indicated by a notch in these mountains, being 

 the place of sunset at the time of the winter 

 solstice. In the dramatic action held in the 



