1912] CURRENT LITERATURE 517 
briefly the circumstances under which the study was begun, developed, and 
brought to completion. A brief but interesting chapter is devoted to a histo 
of botanical exploration in Porto Rico from the earliest collections made in 
1785-1786 to the recent expeditions by different members of the staff of the 
New York Botanical Garden. A careful tabulation shows that 2056 species, 
representing 167 families of pierce and Phanerogams, are known from 
the island at the present time. Of this number 271 species, or 13.13 per cent, 
are peculiar to the island. The families best represented in numbers of species 
are: Polypodiaceae (182), Leguminosae (136), Gramineae (122), Compositae 
(90), Orchidaceae (86), and Cyperaceae (85). From a detailed analysis of the 
species recorded, Professor URBAN concludes that the flora of Porto Rico is 
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reliable and authoritative basis for future investigations on the flora of this 
interesting and economically important insular territory —J. M. GREENMAN. 
Flora of Formosa.—Since the publication of the Enumeratio plantarum 
Formosanarum in 1906 and the Flora montana Formosae in 1908, investigations 
on the flora of the island of Formosa have been pushed forward with astonish- 
ing vigor, which is amply attested to by the appearance of another volume 
entitled Materials for a flora of Formosa.’ The author in the present volume has 
attempted to enumerate all species recorded from the island since the publica- 
tion of the works mentioned above. Flowering plants, ferns, and fern-allies 
only are included, and these are chiefly from the mountainous regions of the 
island. Over 700 species are listed, representing 343 genera and 109 families, 
thus making the total number of species known up to the present time 2660, 
representing 836 genera and 156 families. The work of identification of the 
plants on which this contribution to knowledge is based has been carried on at 
Tokyo, Kew, Paris, Berlin, and St. Petersburg, and oyer 300 species and several 
varieties are characterized as new to science. The location of the island of 
Formosa is such that its flora is ColEponed of Bement comamnion: to Japan, 
China, India, a the Malayan region. of 
is suggestive of a very rich and varied flora, ‘and indicates, moreover, that 
Formosa is Pe a fruitful field for further taxonomic investigation.—J. M. 
NOTES FOR STUDENTS 
Biology of rusts.—MUHLETHALER, who has made a large number of 
cultural experiments with the crown rusts of grasses in Switzerland, has given 
a complete account of his investigations, a part of the results of which have 
already been published in a preliminary account.’ Since DEBary’s demon- 
7 Hayata, B., Materials for a flora of Formosa. Jour. Sci. Coll. Tokyo 30:1- 
471. IQIt. 
8 Rev. Bor. Gaz. §1:157. Igtt. 
