1880.] in the United States in the year 1879. 865 
Schw.,” published in the Proceedings of the Academy of Natural 
Sciences of Philadelphia, 1879, p. 66, shows the growth of a 
healthy critical spirit, the author having satisfied himself that the 
species named includes thirteen or more forms hitherto regarded 
as distinct species. 
Dr. Farlow’s lecture on “The Diseases of Forest Trees,” an 
abstract of which was published in the Transactions of the Massa- 
chusetts Horticultural Society (1879), consists of a plain account 
of the fungoid growths upon forest trees. As a contribution to 
the popular economic mycology of the United States, this lecture 
is to be regarded as a most valuable one. 
Thomas G. Lea’s list of “The Fungi collected in the vicinity 
of Cincinnati,” originally published in 1849, was republished with — 
a few additions, by J. F. James in the Journal of the Cincinnati 
Society of Natural History, 1879. In its revised form it includes 
319 species. 
Of the two American exsiccati now publishing, Centuries m1 
and Iv of Ravenel and Cooke’s Fungi Americani appeared early 
in 1879, and Centuries 11 and 111 of Ellis’ North American Fungi. 
6, Alge—tIn the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural 
History, 1879, Dr. B. D. Halsted published a valuable paper on 
the “Classification and Description of the American species of 
Characee.” Eight species of Nitella, one of Tolypella and nine 
of Chara are fully described. The references to descriptions 
and exstccati appear to be full, and the geographical distribution 
of the species is as well worked out as the material at the com- 
mand of the author would admit. A valuable list of the works 
consulted in its preparation is found at the end of the paper. 
Dr. T. F. Allen’s “ Characeæ Americane,” of which Parts 1 and 
II were issued in 1879, is-another valuable contribution to our 
knowledge of the hitherto little studied American species of the 
Characee. Each part consists of a colored lithograph of a spe- 
cies accompanied by descriptive letterpress. 
“The Seaweeds of Salt lake,” is the title of a short article by 
Dr. Packard in the November Naturauist. It is composed 
mainly of Dr. Farlow’s preliminary report upon a collection of 
Algz obtained by Dr. Packard from the Great Salt lake of Utah. 
Two of the species are recognized as marine forms, while the 
third is new. 
Francis Wolle, in an article entitled “ Dubious character of 
VOL. XIV.—No. Xil. 56 
