802 _ General Netes. [ November, 
De Quelques Hyperostoses de Poissons Trouvées dans les Grottes Quaternaires de 
Menton en Italie par E. Riviére. Assoc. Franc. pour l’Advane. des Sci., Congrès 
de Montpellier, 1879. pp. 6. From the author 
Orographie de la partie des Hautes-Alpes Calcaires. By E. Renevier. 12mo, pp. 
- Lausanne, 1880. From the author. 
Quelques Roches des Alps Vaudoises Etudiées au microscope. Par M. Arthur 
Wm. Waters. (Bull. Soc. Vaud. Sc. Nat. 16, 83.) pp- 6, pl. 1. From E. Renevier. 
Zur Fisch-fauna des Cauca und der Flüsse bei Guayaquil. Von Dr. Franz Stein- 
dachner, 4to, pp. 52, pls. 9. Wien, 1$80. From the author. 
Ichthyologische Beiträge (1x). Von Dr. Franz Steindachner. Uber eine Samm- 
lung von Flussfischen von Tohrzona auf Madagascar. (Sitzb. der k. Akad. der 
Wissensch, 1, Abth. Juli-Heft. Jahrg. 1880.) i From the author. 
Anales del Ministerio de Fomento de la Republica Mexicana, 8vo, Tomo III, pp. 
Mexico, 1880. 
Circular of the Terzo Congresso Geografico Internazionale. Venezia, 1881. 
Roma, 1880. From the secretary. 
foal 
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GENERAL NOTES. 
BOTANY. 
MECHANICAL Cause oF QuincuNncIAL PuyLioTaxy.—lIn a pre- 
liminary note on this subject, Prof. F. Delpino, of the Royal Uni- 
fourth ; the sixth is in the angle between the third, fourth and 
fifth ; and so on, each additional ball being placed in the angle 
between the three immediately preceding it in number. On the 
cylindroid thus formed the spheres occupy positions correspond- 
ing to those of the leaves in the quincuncial arrangement. Three 
spirals may be traced, having the formule f, $, 3. Imagine now 
the spheres as thus placed to elongate gradually into horizontal 
cylinders, and the spirals will change successively to }, 3, 23 b 8 
$; 3; &c. His conclusions are that the cause of the quin- 
_ cuncial arrangement is exclusively mechanical; that the ortho- 
