﻿Botany. 
  309 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

  

  I. 
  Botany. 
  

  

  1. 
  JSote 
  on 
  CycadoJiUces 
  ; 
  by 
  G. 
  R. 
  Wieland 
  (communicated). 
  

   — 
  This 
  group 
  of 
  ancient 
  plants 
  is 
  held 
  to 
  comprise 
  the 
  genera 
  

   N^oeggerathia^ 
  MeduUosa, 
  Cladoxylon^ 
  Lyginodendron^ 
  Heteran- 
  

   gium, 
  and 
  Protopitys^ 
  with 
  the 
  Medullosan 
  allies 
  Colpoxylon 
  and 
  

   Steloxylon. 
  In 
  addition 
  Myeloxylon^ 
  Alethopteris 
  and 
  JSTeuropteris 
  

   are 
  now 
  recognized 
  as 
  appendicular 
  leaf 
  structures. 
  Most 
  palaeo- 
  

   botanists 
  regard 
  the 
  group 
  as 
  intermediate 
  in 
  structure 
  between 
  

   Ferns 
  and 
  Cycads. 
  The 
  literature 
  concerning 
  it 
  is 
  much 
  enriched 
  

   by 
  the 
  recent 
  paper 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Scott 
  : 
  On 
  the 
  Structure 
  and 
  Affini- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  Fossil 
  Plants 
  from 
  the 
  Paloeozoic 
  Rocks. 
  III. 
  On 
  Medul- 
  

   losa 
  anglica, 
  a 
  new 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  Cycadofilices 
  ; 
  by 
  D. 
  H. 
  

   Scott, 
  F.R.S. 
  (Philosoph. 
  Trans, 
  of 
  the 
  Royal 
  Society 
  of 
  Lon- 
  

   don, 
  1899). 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  treatment 
  o^ 
  Lyginodendron 
  and 
  Heteran- 
  

   gium 
  this 
  valuable 
  contribution 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  full 
  series 
  of 
  

   photographs 
  illustrating 
  structure. 
  Medullosa 
  a7iglica 
  (from 
  the 
  

   Lower 
  Coal 
  Measures 
  of 
  Britain) 
  is 
  shown 
  from 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   specimens 
  representing 
  all 
  vegetative 
  organs 
  but 
  the 
  fructifica- 
  

   tion 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  most 
  Fern-like 
  of 
  the 
  Cycadofilices. 
  Dr. 
  Scott's 
  

   discussion 
  of 
  its 
  relationships 
  is 
  very 
  interesting. 
  I 
  quote 
  from 
  

   his 
  conclusion 
  : 
  "The 
  evidence 
  is 
  gradually 
  accumulating 
  which 
  

   connects 
  the 
  Cycads 
  (and 
  by 
  a 
  less 
  direct 
  line 
  the 
  other 
  gymno- 
  

   sperms 
  also) 
  with 
  the 
  Ferns. 
  The 
  fossil 
  evidence, 
  very 
  strong 
  by 
  

   itself, 
  is 
  supported 
  by 
  the 
  morphology 
  of 
  the 
  reproductive 
  organs, 
  

   and 
  by 
  the 
  great 
  discovery 
  of 
  the 
  multiciliate 
  spermatozoids 
  

   which 
  we 
  owe 
  to 
  Ikeno 
  and 
  Hirase 
  and 
  to 
  Webber. 
  We 
  thus 
  

   see 
  that 
  external 
  resemblance 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  fallacious; 
  the 
  Fern- 
  

   like 
  foliage 
  of 
  Stangeria, 
  the 
  ' 
  Maiden 
  hair 
  tree,' 
  pointed 
  in 
  the 
  

   right 
  direction 
  long 
  before 
  botanists 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  (ollow 
  the 
  

   clue." 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  Hepaticm 
  and 
  Anthocerates 
  of 
  California 
  ; 
  by 
  Mar- 
  

   shall 
  Avery 
  Howe. 
  Memoirs 
  Torrey 
  Botanical 
  Club, 
  vol. 
  vii, 
  

   pp. 
  208, 
  S'', 
  pi. 
  88-122. 
  Issued 
  Aug. 
  5, 
  1899.— 
  This 
  monograph 
  

   is 
  the 
  most 
  thorough 
  presentation 
  of 
  the 
  hepatics 
  of 
  any 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  which 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  published. 
  The 
  main 
  

   portion 
  embraces 
  a 
  detailed 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  genera 
  and 
  species 
  

   found 
  in 
  California, 
  with 
  full 
  and 
  exact 
  descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   supplemented 
  by 
  copious, 
  critical 
  notes 
  on 
  synonymy, 
  distribu- 
  

   tion, 
  etc., 
  together 
  with 
  keys 
  to 
  the 
  genera 
  and 
  species. 
  In 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  the 
  author 
  enumerates 
  the 
  different 
  collectors 
  of 
  

   hepatics 
  of 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  with 
  notes 
  on 
  their 
  collections, 
  and 
  

   gives 
  tables 
  showing 
  the 
  comparative 
  distribution 
  of 
  Californian 
  

   species 
  in 
  the 
  northeastern 
  United 
  States, 
  British 
  Isles, 
  northern 
  

   and 
  central 
  Europe 
  and 
  northern 
  Asia. 
  The 
  Californian 
  species 
  

   number 
  86 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  150 
  of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  States, 
  a 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  large 
  number 
  when 
  one 
  considers 
  the 
  smaller 
  area 
  covered 
  

  

  