Natural History. 249 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



I. Natural History. 



1. The New Series of Contributions from the Gray Her- 

 barium of Harvard University, No. XI, by Mr. J. M. Green- 

 man, deals with the Mexican and Central American species of 

 Houstonia, being a revision of these. It contains also a Key to 

 the Mexican species of Liabum, and Descriptions of more than 

 forty new or little known plants from Mexico. Two new genera 

 are added. g. l. g. 



2. Synoptical Flora of North America, Yol. 1, Part I, Fas- 

 cicle II, contains critical descriptions of the North American 

 species from Caryophyllaceoe to the JPolygalacece ; by Asa Gray, 

 LL.D., continued and edited by Benjamin Lincoln Robinson, 

 Ph.D., Curator of the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, 

 with the collaboration of William Trelease, Sc.D., Director of 

 the Missouri Botanical Garden; Johnt M. Coulter, Ph.D., Pro- 

 fessor of Botany in the University of Chicago ; and L. H. Bailey, 

 M.Sc, Professor of Horticulture in Cornell University. 



A succinct statement which accompanies this welcome publica- 

 tion, shows exactly how the work stands at present. From this 

 we learn that "of the Synoptical Flora, Professor Gray pub- 

 lished in 1878 and 1884, two parts including all the Gamopeta- 

 lous Orders. These parts were reissued by the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution in 1886, and amount to nearly 1000 imperial octavo pages. 

 For some time before his death Professor Gray, continuing the 

 work, was engaged in monograpning the earlier Polypetalous 

 Orders. After the death of Professor Gray the preparation of 

 the Synoptical Flora was carried on by Dr. Sereno Watson, and 

 then by his successor, Dr. B. L. Robinson. 



" Following the original plan of the Flora, the treatment of 

 the Polypetalous Orders will form, when completed, Volume I, 

 Part I. Of this portion of the work the first fascicle, comprising 

 the seventeen Orders from Ranunculacese to Frankeniacese, inclu- 

 sive, was issued Oct. 10, 1895. The second fascicle now before 

 us carries the work up to Polygalacese, and a third, to include the 

 Leguminosse, is now in preparation by Dr. Robinson." 



Botanists appreciate sincerely the careful work which char- 

 acterizes this joint treatise. Dr. Robinson has spared no 

 pains to keep the Flora on the high plane of Professor Gray's 

 critical investigations, and he has received valuable aid from his 

 distinguished collaborators. We think that the editor has been 

 wise in adhering to the lines laid down by his predecessors. The 

 limitations are here and there occasionally felt perhaps to be 

 rather too strict, but the result has been on the whole far more 

 satisfactory than would have been a complete or even partial 

 overturn. Dr. Robinson and his coadjutors are carrying out the 

 plan in a manner which must commend itself to all who know 

 the circumstances of the case. g. l. g. 



