606 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. (VoL. XXXII. 
upon the energy and industry of Dr. Urbina, and is unquestionably 
the best production of its kind which has issued from Mexico. It 
will doubtless stimulate local interest among Mexican botanists, but 
for several reasons can assist but little the foreign students of the 
Mexican flora. It is far from being a complete enumeration of the 
known species of the country, and its extent is determined neither by 
geographic boundaries nor by the limits of natural orders, but rather 
by chance, since, as it appears, only such species are mentioned as 
happen already to be represented in the Museo Nacional. A valuable 
feature of the catalogue is the introduction of a considerable number 
of local vernacular plant names which, now that they are coupled 
with their Latin equivalents, may well give clues to the real identity 
of various Mexican drugs and officinal plants which reach our 
museums in no condition for botanical determination. Siok 
Recent Contributions to Morphology of the Higher Plants.'— 
The high standing of Professor Goebel and his many important contri- 
butions to the morphology of the higher plants makes the present 
work of great interest to botanical students everywhere. The volume 
at hand is the first of a series which promises to give a comprehensive 
summary of what may, perhaps, be termed “developmental mor- 
phology,” which seems to be about what Goebel means by Orga- 
nography. 
This first volume deals with general Organography, or a general 
consideration of the members which make up the vegetable organism, 
their origin and modifications. In the preface attention is called to 
the great changes which have taken place in regard to morphological 
questions. The old idealistic conception of “ morphologically equiv- 
alent ” organs as structures which are patterned after an imaginary 
“type” has been replaced by the idea of homologous structures 
which are really genetically related. Goebel also insists, and very 
justly, that no sound system of morphology can be based upon the 
use of a single character, but that all factors must be taken into 
account ; and, as has already been pointed out by him in his previous 
studies, the impossibility of divorcing absolutely morphology and 
physiology is here emphasized. In his zeal as to the importance of 
determining the causes which directly influence plants as they at 
present exist, he is perhaps a little too severe on those botanists who 
1 Organographie der Pflanzen, Erster Teil, Allgemeine Organographte. Dr. 
K. Goebel, Professor of Botany in the University of Munich. Jena, Gustav 
Fischer, 1 
