154 The American Naturalist.  [February, 
part of his book he takes up methods, chemistry of the nucléus, histol- 
ogy of the nucleus, nuclear division (karyokinetic and direct division), 
physiology of the nucleus, ete. Inthe second part the subject is taken 
up from the systematic standpoint, the stracture and division of the 
nucleus being discussed for each group of plants, e. g., Angiosperms, 
Gymnosperms, Pteridophytes, Bryophytes, Fungi, Algæ and Schizophy- 
tes. The author has summarized the results of the investigations, and 
apparently given the essential facts. In all cases he makes a direct 
citation of the particular paper to which he refers, thus enabling the 
student to verify the statements made by the author. It must not be 
supposed, however, that the work is a mere compilation ; on the con- 
trary the author has wrought into it a great deal of his own matter, so 
the book is full of fresh material. It will at once find a place in every 
laboratory, and we hope will be made still more useful by a good Eng- 
lish translation.—Cuar.es E. Bessey. 
Another Australian Curiosity.—Some time since we reviewed 
an article on astrange Australian fungus which appeared to be a 
peculiar edible sclerotium. A recent paper’ describes what the authors 
call “ a stone-making fungus” for which a new genus is erected. This 
genus appears to us, however, of doubtful validity, and illustrates a 
tendency to the multiplication of genera founded upon slight and un- 
important characters, which is being carried to the extreme by many 
of our systematic botanists and which it seems to us should be con- 
demned. Laccocephalum is said to differ from Polyporus “ in being 
hard and woody from the first, in the peculiarly pitted pileus and in 
the character of the spores.” The most striking peculiarity to the 
superficial observer, however, is a large stone like nodule at the base 
of the stipe. This has a diameter equal to or exceeding that of the 
pileus, and is apparently composed of sand agglutinated and held to- 
gether by the mycelium into a mass resembling a concretion of ferru- 
ginous sandstone. 
In the specific description there are apparently some typographical 
errors, as the spores are said to be “ 44-50 inches in diameter ” (mean- 
ing # probably) with spines “3 inches long” (#?). The paper is ac- 
companied by a good lithographic plate giving three views of one of 
the plants.—C. L. SHEAR. 
2D. McAlpine and J. G. O. Tepper: A New Australian Stone-making Fungus 
(Laccocephalum basilapiloides), Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, 1894, Art. XIV. 
