Botany and Zoology. 89 



der Fossilen Floren — is a useful resume. The profuse introduc- 

 tion of illustrations throughout the body of the work is a most 

 commendable and labor-saving feature in which it excels. The 

 ferns are given extended treatment in consonance with their 

 stratigraphical importance, while the generalized group of ancient 

 plants now known as the Cycadojilices receive a careful structural 

 description. Though giving, in accordance with the general plan 

 of the work as outlined, the greater prominence to earlier forms, 

 the author has yet found space to include many of the more 

 fundamental details of structure characterizing the representative 

 groups of fossil plants. The colored frontispiece showing a Car- 

 boniferous landscape is new and effective. Both this and the 

 preceding text-book must prove widely useful. G. R. w. 



5. The Birds of Eastern North America. Part II land 

 Birds. Key to the Families and Species ; by Charles B. Cory, 

 Curator of Department of Ornithology in the Field Columbian 

 Museum. Pp. i-ix, 131-387. Chicago, 1899 (Special edition 

 printed for the Field Columbian Museum). — The second part (this 

 Journal, viii, 398) of Mr. Cory's classified catalogue of North 

 American Birds has recently been issued. It is liberally illus- 

 trated and will be found very useful by the many who are inter- 

 ested in this subject. 



6. Zoological Resxdts based on material from New Britain, New 

 Guinea, loyalty Island and elsewhere, collected during the years 

 1895-1897 ; by Arthur Willey. Part iv, pp. 357-530, plates 

 xxxiv-liii ; May, 1900. Cambridge (University Press). — The 

 earlier parts of this important series of papers have already been 

 mentioned in this Journal (vii, 79, 322 ; viii, 398). The present 

 part contains ten papers (Nos. 18 to 27) by different authors. 

 Among these may be mentioned as of especial interest the descrip- 

 tion by J. J. Lister of Astrosclera toilleyana, the type of a new 

 family of Sponges. 



7. Das Tierreich. Eine ZusammenstelluvgundKemxzeichnung 

 der rezenten Tierformen. Herausgegeben von der Deutschen 

 Zoologischen Gesellschaft. Generalredakteur, Franz Eilhard 

 Schttlze. 9 Lieferung. Aves, Redakteur, A. Reichenow. Tro- 

 chilidce bearbeitet von Ernst Hartert. Pp. i-ix, 1-254, with 34 

 text figures and alphabetical Index. Berlin, 1900. (R. Fried- 

 lander u. Sohn.) Earlier numbers of this great work have been 

 noticed in these pages. The present part includes the family 

 Trochilidai of the Birds and has been prepared by Mr. Ernst 

 Hartert of the Zoological Museum at Tring, England. 



TV. Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. The Solar Eclipse.— The total solar eclipse of May 28th was 

 observed under exceptionally favorable weather conditions both 

 in this country and Europe. Nowhere on the line of totality. 

 did clouds interfere with the observations. In consequence a 

 great quantity of material was obtained, but as yet no results 

 have been announced. 



