﻿Geology 
  and 
  Mineralogy. 
  335 
  

  

  bamboo 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  gardeners 
  of 
  Devon 
  and 
  Cornwall, 
  

   where, 
  after 
  seven 
  years 
  of 
  vigorous 
  growth, 
  the 
  bamboo 
  pro- 
  

   duces 
  fruit, 
  afterwards 
  dying 
  and 
  having 
  to 
  be 
  replaced. 
  It 
  is 
  

   interesting 
  also 
  to 
  note 
  the 
  accumulating 
  evidence 
  in 
  the 
  Cycade- 
  

   oid 
  forms 
  of 
  the 
  dioecious 
  and 
  the 
  moneocious 
  conditions, 
  in 
  

   addition 
  to 
  hermaphrodism. 
  

  

  Many 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  staminate 
  disk 
  have 
  been 
  worked 
  out 
  in 
  

   detail, 
  notably 
  in 
  C. 
  collosalis, 
  and 
  comparisons 
  instituted 
  with 
  

   other 
  forms. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  novel 
  and 
  stimulating 
  of 
  these 
  

   has 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  the 
  relative 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  synangial 
  and 
  disk 
  

   hypothesis 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  integument, 
  the 
  latter 
  view 
  of 
  

   which 
  would 
  bring 
  the 
  Cycadeoids 
  into 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  Pterido- 
  

   sperms. 
  It 
  is 
  an 
  interesting 
  attempt 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  

   the 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  phylum 
  belonging 
  to 
  an 
  older 
  geological 
  epoch 
  

   by 
  derivation 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  those 
  from 
  more 
  recent 
  formations. 
  

   The 
  extension 
  of 
  Wieland's 
  disk 
  theory 
  to 
  the 
  living 
  Cycads 
  

   leads 
  to 
  the 
  reversal 
  of 
  the 
  accepted 
  view 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  inter-rela- 
  

   tionships, 
  in 
  that 
  the 
  Cycas-type 
  of 
  megasporophyll 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  more 
  specialized 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Zamieae. 
  Wieland 
  

   further 
  uses 
  his 
  staminate 
  disk 
  hypothesis 
  to 
  bring 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  

   the 
  protective 
  covering 
  of 
  the 
  angiosperm 
  ovule 
  (the 
  carpel) 
  into 
  

   line 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  integument 
  of 
  the 
  gymnosperm, 
  the 
  former 
  

   being 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  further 
  stage 
  in 
  the 
  progressive 
  sterilization 
  

   of 
  parts 
  which 
  marked 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  ovule. 
  Whether 
  or 
  not 
  

   one 
  agrees 
  with 
  those 
  who 
  see 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  a 
  "proangiosperm 
  " 
  

   character 
  in 
  the 
  Cycadeoidea 
  it 
  is 
  certainly 
  indisputable 
  that 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  the 
  peculiar 
  structure 
  of 
  these 
  forms 
  has 
  had 
  more 
  

   of 
  an 
  unexpected 
  and 
  revolutionary 
  character 
  in 
  it 
  than 
  has 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  any 
  recent 
  group 
  of 
  fossil 
  plants. 
  Dr. 
  Wieland 
  is 
  

   to 
  be 
  heartily 
  congratulated 
  on 
  the 
  admirable 
  contribution 
  which 
  

   his 
  two 
  volumes 
  on 
  American 
  Fossil 
  Cycads 
  make 
  to 
  fossil 
  botany. 
  

  

  E. 
  B. 
  THOMSON. 
  

  

  2. 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Geological 
  Survey; 
  P. 
  G. 
  Morgan, 
  Director. 
  

   Tenth 
  Annual 
  Report, 
  1916. 
  Pp. 
  31, 
  2 
  maps. 
  — 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  

   New 
  Zealand 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1915-16 
  included 
  

   the 
  following 
  field 
  studies: 
  1. 
  The 
  volcanic 
  region 
  of 
  Mount 
  

   Egmont, 
  where 
  the 
  strata 
  range 
  from 
  Miocene 
  to 
  Recent. 
  2. 
  The 
  

   Gisborne 
  and 
  Whatatutu 
  areas 
  of 
  Cretaceous 
  and 
  Tertiary 
  strata 
  

   previously 
  described 
  as 
  complexly 
  folded 
  but 
  interpreted 
  by 
  J. 
  

   Henderson 
  and 
  M. 
  Ongley 
  as 
  much 
  disturbed 
  by 
  faulting 
  along 
  

   an 
  east- 
  west 
  belt. 
  In 
  this 
  region 
  "the 
  indications 
  of 
  petroleum 
  

   are 
  favorable," 
  and 
  oil 
  has 
  been 
  struck 
  in 
  wells 
  in 
  "moving 
  fault- 
  

   pug." 
  3. 
  The 
  Tuapeka 
  district, 
  where 
  an 
  areal 
  survey 
  has 
  

   been 
  completed 
  by 
  Dr. 
  P. 
  Marshall. 
  4. 
  The 
  Oamaru 
  district 
  sur- 
  

   veyed 
  by 
  Professor 
  Park. 
  Paleontologic 
  work 
  includes 
  studies 
  

   of 
  Tertiary 
  Mollusca 
  by 
  II. 
  Suter 
  (in 
  press) 
  and 
  of 
  Mesozoic 
  fos- 
  

   sils 
  by 
  C. 
  T. 
  Trechman. 
  Preliminary 
  reports 
  on 
  the 
  geology 
  of 
  

   the 
  Kaipara 
  district 
  aud 
  on 
  water 
  supply 
  for 
  Kaikoura 
  have 
  been 
  

   prepared. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  widely 
  discussed 
  and 
  important 
  geologic 
  prob- 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLIII, 
  No. 
  256— 
  April, 
  1917. 
  

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