164 The American Naturalist. [February, 
BOTANY. 
The Systematic Botany of North America.—Under this 
title a work of great importance to science is now in preparation for 
early publication. Following the suggestion of Rabenhorst’s “ Kryp- 
togamen Flora,” and Engler and Prantl’s “ Natiirliche Pflanzenfamil- 
ien,” the originators of the project have sought to bring to their aid as 
many as possible of the working botanists of North America. Ac- 
cordingly we find the names of Professor G. F. Atkinson, of Cornell ; 
Professor N. L. Britton, of Columbia; President J. M. Coulter, of Lake 
Forest; Chief Botanist F. V. Coville, of the National Herbarium ; 
Professor E. L. Greene, of California; Professor B. D. Halsted, of 
Rutgers, and Professor L. M. Underwood, of De Pauw, upon the 
board of editors, with such as the following in the list of those who 
have assured the editors of their coöperation : Professor T. C. Porter, 
of Lafayette; Professor C. R. Barnes, of Wisconsin; Director Wm. 
Trelease, of the Missouri Botanical Garden; Professor L. H. Bailey, 
of Cornell; Professor C. S. Sargent, of Harvard; Professor T. J. 
Burrill, of Illinois, and many others equally well known. 
In the mode of publication the German plan will be followed also, 
the work to appear in parts of about one hundred pages each, published 
at intervals, five of these parts usually constituting a volume. The 
sequence will be that of Engler and Prantl’s “ Natiirliche Pflanzen- 
familien,” and will include all plants from the Protophyta to the 
Composite. It is estimated that it will require about seventeen vol- 
umes fur the whole work, or about eighty-five parts, and that it will 
take fifteen years to complete it. According to the present plan, 
Volume I will contain the Myxomycetes, Schizomycetes, Cyanophycee 
and Diatomacee; Volume II, the alge; Volumes III to VIII, the 
fungi; (Vol. IV, the lichens); Volume IX, the Bryophyta, Pterido- 
phyta and Gymnosperme ; Volumes X and XI, the Monocotyledons ; 
Volumes XII to XVII, the Dicotyledons. 
Itis announced that the following parts are to appear during 1895: 
Pyrenomycetes (two parts), by J. B. Ellis and B. M. Everhart ; Hepa- 
tice, by L. M. Underwood; Typhacew, Sparganiacea, Naiadacee, 
Juneaginacee, Alismacee and Hydrocharitacee, by Thomas Morong; 
Cyperacee (two parts), by N. L. Britton and L. H. Bailey. 
The parts may be obtained as issued of Professor N. L. Britton, of 
Columbia College, New York, the chairman of the board of editors. 
CHARLES E. Bessey. 
1 Edited by Prof. C. E. Bessey, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska. 
