470 Scientific Intelligence. 



special reference to the histological structure of their representa- 

 tive species. The author finds, among other points of interest, 

 that certain plants which have been regarded as more or less 

 xeropkytic are not actually so in the strict sense of the word. 

 The mangroves, for example, and some of the species found on 

 moist sandy beaches show no peculiarities which tend to reduce 

 transpiration. They develop, however, a water tissue, capable of 

 direct absorption, and by this means are enabled to undergo a 

 prolonged transpiration without injury. In the three remaining 

 sections the author discusses the fall of leaves in the tropics, the 

 effect of climate on the formation of annual rings in wood, and 

 the subject of direct adaptation in tropical plants. Many of his 

 conclusions seem influenced by the theory that acquired characters 

 are transmitted, and it is hardly probable that all will be accepted 

 without reserve. In spite of this fact the work will always be of 

 value on account of the many and careful observations which it 

 records. a. w. e. 



III. Miscellaneous Scientific Intelligence. 



1. Carl Friedrich Gcmss Werke. Band VII. Theoria Motus 

 Corporum Coelestium in Sectionibus Conicis Solem Ambientium. 

 Pp. 650. Herausgegeben von der Koniglichen Gesellschaft der 

 Wissenschaften zu Gottingen. Leipzig, 1906 (B. G. Teubner).— 

 It was within two or three years of a century ago that Gauss's 

 famous Theoria motus first appeared. Now it comes out as the 

 first 290 pages of the seventh volume of his complete works. 

 The remaining 360 pages of the volume are made up of various 

 notes and letters, in small type, which have been culled from the 

 huge JSfachlass. To rank all this matter as notes would, however, 

 be extreme minimization ; for there are two extensive investi- 

 gations on the perturbations of Ceres and Pallas filling respec- 

 tively 35 and 200 pages. Of these the latter for a long time 

 seemed destined to receive the large prize offered by the French 

 Academy for a treatment of the perturbations of the asteroid 

 Pallas ; but like so much of the work of this Princeps mathemat- 

 icorum, it never came to publication during his life, which lasted 

 some 20 years after this investigation was practically completed. 

 Nothing shows more clearly the great assiduity and rapidity of 

 Gauss's researches than the way he carried through his compu- 

 tations on Pallas to the extent of over 340,000 figures in the time 

 of about three months. 



With this Volume VII the edition of Gauss's works, which has 

 occupied nearly 40 years, is complete except for one miscella- 

 neous volume, the tenth, which will probably soon be given to 

 the public. The scientific world owes a deep debt of gratitude 

 to those who have so cheerfully spent a large amount of their 

 time and energy on this great and highly valuable undertaking. 



E. B. W. 



