244 Scientific Intelligence. 



of the industry in this country is considered, and at the same time 

 the very imperfect and fragmentary amount of information which 

 has already been published in the various technical journals. A 

 brief summary is also given of the clay industry in the United 

 States. 



1. On the Origin of the Gases evolved on heated Mineral Sub- 

 stances, Meteorites, etc. — A paper by M. W. Travers in the 

 Proceedings of the Royal Society (No. 405) discusses the evolu- 

 tion of gases from various minerals and meteorites, especially 

 with reference to their origin. His conclusions are somewhat at 

 variance with those ordinarily accepted, in that the experiments 

 go to prove that in the majority of cases, the gas evolved under 

 the influence of heat is the product of decomposition or inter- 

 action of non-gaseous constituents present in the substance under 

 examination. It is conceded that compact minerals do inclose 

 carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons as easily liquefiable gases ; but 

 the analogy cannot be extended to gases such as hydrogen and 

 helium in connection with readily cleavable minerals like chlorite, 

 mica and cleveite. The special importance of the conclusions here 

 reached lies in the fact that it invalidates the conclusion reached 

 in regard to the origin and history of the substances in question. 

 This is partly true in the case of meteorites. 



III. Botany and Zoology. 



1. Symbolm Antillance seu Fundamenta Florce Indice Occiden- 

 talis ; editit Ignatius Urban". Vol. I, Fasc. I continet : I, Ign. 

 Urban : Bibliographia Indise occidentalis botanica, pp. 3-192. 

 Berolini, 1898 (Fratres Borntraeger). — Within recent years, Pro- 

 fessor Urban has published numerous papers dealing with the 

 flora of the West Indies. His articles have appeared in various 

 German journals and have of necessity been somewhat scattered 

 and disconnected. It is now his intention to publish the further 

 results of his studies in this domain in a series of papers under 

 the above title, the various fasciculi to appear at indefinite periods 

 and to deal mainly with difficult or neglected families, the descrip- 

 tion of new genera and species and the geographical distribution 

 of plants on the islands. This first paper contains a list, arranged 

 alphabetically according to authors, of the numerous works deal- 

 ing with the botany of the West Indies, but it is much more than 

 a mere enumeration. After each title, which is given in full and 

 also in a shortened form suitable for citation, follows an abstract 

 of its contents, and, in the case of taxonomic papers, an indica- 

 tion as to where the plants described are at present preserved. 

 Especially valuable are the many references to works published 

 in Spain or in the West Indies themselves, many of which are 

 difficult of access and therefore little known to botanists. 



a. w. E. 



2. Plant life : considered with special reference to form and 

 function ; by Charles Reid Barnes, Professor of Plant Physi- 



