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  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  technical 
  question 
  whether 
  Mycetozoa 
  are 
  plants 
  or 
  ani- 
  

   mals 
  the 
  author 
  contents 
  himself 
  with 
  the 
  short 
  remark 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  

   ingestion 
  of 
  bacteria 
  by 
  the 
  swarm-cells 
  appears 
  to 
  strengthen 
  

   the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  group 
  is 
  more 
  nearly 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  lower 
  

   forms 
  of 
  animal 
  than 
  of 
  vegetable 
  life? 
  The 
  subdivisions 
  of 
  the 
  

   Exosporese 
  here 
  given 
  are 
  essentially 
  those 
  adopted 
  by 
  Rosta- 
  

   finski. 
  The 
  ProtodermaceaB 
  disappear 
  since 
  the 
  only 
  supposed 
  

   representative 
  proves 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  Licea, 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  of 
  genera 
  

   of 
  the 
  order 
  is 
  given 
  as 
  43 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  which 
  

   descriptions 
  are 
  given 
  is 
  275. 
  Since 
  a 
  doubt 
  exists 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   genuineness 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  an 
  unusually 
  

   large 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  include 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  or, 
  at 
  most, 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  species. 
  Although 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  species 
  admitted 
  

   by 
  the 
  writer 
  is 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  described 
  

   by 
  different 
  botanists, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  in 
  his 
  reduction 
  of 
  many 
  

   of 
  them 
  to 
  synonyms, 
  he 
  is 
  fully 
  justified. 
  One 
  has 
  only 
  to 
  read 
  

   his 
  excellent 
  descriptions 
  which 
  comprise 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  plas- 
  

   madia 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  mature 
  structures 
  and 
  his 
  very 
  full 
  notes 
  with 
  

   regard 
  to 
  type-specimens 
  examined 
  and 
  the 
  variations 
  assumed 
  

   under 
  different 
  conditions 
  to 
  be 
  convinced 
  that 
  his 
  view 
  with 
  

   regard 
  to 
  specific 
  limitations 
  is 
  as 
  correct 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  far 
  reaching. 
  

   His 
  treatment 
  of 
  Stemonitis 
  and 
  Trichia 
  is 
  refreshing 
  after 
  the 
  

   confused 
  account 
  of 
  those 
  genera 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  some 
  treatises 
  

   and 
  even 
  the 
  perplexing 
  genera 
  Physarum 
  and 
  Cribraria 
  lose 
  

   much 
  of 
  their 
  intrinsic 
  difficulty 
  at 
  his 
  hands. 
  

  

  For 
  American 
  botanists 
  the 
  present 
  Monograph 
  is 
  especially 
  

   valuable. 
  Besides 
  the 
  specimens 
  of 
  older 
  collectors 
  in 
  various 
  

   herbaria 
  Mr. 
  Lester 
  has 
  examined 
  abundant 
  recent 
  material 
  from 
  

   Rex, 
  Macbride, 
  Morgan 
  and 
  the 
  writer, 
  and 
  he 
  has 
  given 
  us 
  at 
  

   once 
  the 
  most 
  connected 
  and 
  critical 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  

   United 
  States 
  yet 
  published. 
  He 
  remarks 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  

   Mycetozoa 
  have, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  a 
  wide 
  distribution 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   world 
  and 
  doubts 
  whether 
  unexplored 
  districts 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  

   furnish 
  any 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  species. 
  The 
  book 
  is 
  well 
  

   printed 
  and 
  very 
  copiously 
  illustrated. 
  The 
  woodcuts 
  of 
  the 
  

   genera 
  are 
  well 
  adapted 
  for 
  their 
  purpose. 
  The 
  plates 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  are 
  collotype 
  reproductions 
  of 
  water 
  color 
  drawings 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  Lester 
  and 
  his 
  daughter 
  and 
  are 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  very 
  satisfactory. 
  

   Like 
  all 
  photographs, 
  however, 
  they 
  sometimes 
  fail 
  to 
  give 
  clearly 
  

   the 
  finer 
  markings. 
  We 
  regret 
  that 
  the 
  original 
  drawings 
  were 
  

   not 
  reproduced 
  in 
  colors, 
  not 
  that 
  we 
  think 
  the 
  colors 
  themselves 
  

   necessary 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  but 
  because, 
  the 
  drawings 
  being 
  colored, 
  

   photography 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  bring 
  out 
  well 
  all 
  the 
  finer 
  

   points. 
  One 
  sees, 
  in 
  some 
  cases, 
  from 
  the 
  reproduction 
  how 
  much 
  

   better 
  the 
  original 
  drawing 
  must 
  have 
  been. 
  w. 
  G. 
  f. 
  

  

  