780 The American Naturalist. [February, 
When shall we come to know well this enormous number of plants? 
If since 1824 the sum of plants has jumped from 70,000 according to 
“Steudel, to the modern sum of 174,000, that is in 68 years we have 
discovered 104,000 species, to arrive at a problematical 400,000 about 
-150 more years of research ought to run. Our remote grandchildren 
will see whether these prophecies are verified, or whether in this we 
‘are greatly in error—P. A. Saccarpo. [In Atti Cong. Bot. Int 
1892. Translated by Roscoe Pound. ] 
. New Book on Ferns.—A book on the “Study of the Biology — 
of Ferns by the Collodion Method,” by Professor G. F. Atkinson of — 
Cornell University is announced for early publication Tt is to be fully 
illustrated from original drawings by the author, and will include in | 
- the descriptive portion a discussion of the development, morphology d 
anatomy of the gametophytic and sporophytic phases, while a second : 
part deals with methods of study. The house of Macmillan & (0.8 
to bring out the book, which will be looked for with interest by labora- 
tory botanists.—Cuartes E. Bessey. 
