72 Scientific Intelligence. 



Zr0 2 , Ti0 2 FeO CaO MgO igu. 



79*79 6-64 11*61 049 1-02 =99*55 



— Mineral Magazine, xi, 86, 1895. 



Tiffanyite. — This name has been given by G. F. Kunz to a 

 hydrocarbon assumed to be present in certain diamonds, which on 

 this account, as it is believed, exhibit marked fluorescence and 

 phosphorescence. These optical phenomena are shown to belong 

 only to a limited number of diamonds and not to be as general 

 as has been supposed. — Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sci., xiv, 260, 1895. 



III. Botany. 



1. Pleiotaxy hi the androecium of Epidendrum cochleatum, L. 

 — Mr. Theodore L. Mead has sent to the Harvard Botanical 

 museum, from Oviedo, Florida, a strong plant of this species, 

 which exhibits an anomaly in the number of anthers. Most of 

 the flowers are well-developed and, at first sight, would not 

 attract attention as being at all diflerent from the type. But Mr. 

 Mead had observed that even the most nearly normal flowers on 

 this plant have three anthers. In most of the flowers, the three pol- 

 linia are about equal in size, but the two lateral ones are ' a little 

 distorted by the curvature of the column. The anther normally 

 present in this group of orchids is of ordinary shape and size, 

 and plainly belongs to the outer whorl. The two extra stamens, 

 which flank it, appear, as far as examination has yet gone, to 

 belong, as might be expected, to the same whorl. Altogether the 

 case is interesting, although it is one of a class of monstrosities 

 rather common in the orchid family. It does not appear that 

 anyone previous to Mr. Mead has observed the present deviation 

 from the normal number in any plants of this species, although 

 Clos has made a note of the occurence of three fertile anthers in 

 an unnamed species of Epidendrum. 



Among other deviations in this genus may be mentioned the 

 following recorded by Penzig, who states that Magnus has seen 

 in this species trimerous peloria with labelliform petals, and also 

 dimerous zygomorphic flowers having transverse sepals. Epi- 

 dendrum articulatum has been observed with an inflorescence 

 of the year before. Other species in this genus have also 

 exhibited striking peculiarities in individual cases, but perhaps 

 the deviations have not been more numerous than in allied 

 genera. g. l. g. 



2. The Structure and Development of the Mosses and Ferns / 

 by Douglas Houghton Campbell, pp. 544, 8°, fig. 266. (Mac- 

 millan & Co.) — This treatise on the Archegoniatae has been admi- 

 rably planned and executed by Prof. Campbell. We have had 

 many books and monographs giving the details of the structure 

 of the different orders of Archegoniatse and not a small number 

 of papers devoted to a consideration of their homologies and 

 phyllogeny. We have not had, however, in recent years, a con- 

 nected account of the subject by one who, while master of 



