1881. ] Zoology. SOF 
ment of Science did not yield much in the way of botanical 
papers. A half dozen papers, some scarcely passable, consti- 
tuted the whole contribution from the botanists of the Associa- 
tion. What are our botanists doing? Doubtless they are busy ; 
but it is not creditable to American science that so few papers were 
presented by them, especially when we bear in mind the length 
of the list of American botanists. A movement is under way to 
make a better showing in botany at the Montreal meeting. 
One of the best botanical papers presented at Cincinnati was by 
Dr. Beal on the “ Movements of Roots in germinating Indian 
Corn.” Darwin’s statement that “in whatever direction the pri- 
mary radicle first protrudes from the seed, geotropism guides it 
perpendicularly downwards,” was shown to require modification. 
ver four hundred kernels of sprouted Indian corn were placed 
over a large pan of water and set in the dark. No gummed 
Papers were placed on the radicle-tips of these, yet they took 
many different directions. In all the lots, one coil or more was a 
very common thing; some coiling over and some under. Many 
went downwards, some in nearly a horizontal position, several 
directly upward where two of them made three coils each. No 
roots were tested in soil. An abstract cannot do this paper jus- 
tice, since it was much condensed as it was presented. The results 
were quite remarkable. At another time some seeds were 
it produced no effect. Professor Penhallow’s paper on the 
“ Phenomena of Growth in Plants,” dealt with the movements of 
the stem and tendrils of the Mammoth squash. Professor 
Meehan contributed ‘‘ Additional facts on the Fertilization of 
ucca.” By artificial self-fertilization of pistils of Yucca angusti- 
folia, fruit was obtained, although the pollen was applied to the 
external lobes of the stigma. The August number of the 
merican Monthly Microscopical ¥ournal contains half a dozen 
formule for preservative media for use in mounting microscopi- 
Cal preparations of vegetable tissues. Rand, McNally & Co., 
of Chicago, have just issued “The American Encyclopedia of 
Agriculture,” by Jonathan Periam. An examination of the bo- 
tanical part of the work shows that unusual care has been taken 
in its preparation. 
ZOOLOGY. 
_ RECENT ZootocicaL WorK IN France.— Among the most 
;Mportant zodlogical memoirs published in France, are those to 
be found in Lacaze-Duthier’s Archives de Zoologie expériment- 
ale et générale. The eighth volume, for 1879-’80, contains an 
elaborate essay, with most excellent plates, some of them printed 
®n stone in colors, by L. C. Cosmorici, on the anatomy of the 
