1886. | Recent Literature. l 255 
remark in the preface is worth quoting, viz: “The term ‘ crypto- 
am has been discarded as the correlative of phenogam, and 
‘Pteridophyta’ (vascular cryptogams) is used as the name of the 
second great series of plants.” It is gratifying to note these 
signs of a recognition, in a systematic manual, of the doctrine of 
evolution, and of the significance of the structural homologies 
which are now familiar to every vegetable anatomist. 
notice the continued use of an antiquated term where the leaves 
of the Filicinæ are called “ fronds.” In the characters given for 
the class (p. 436), as well as the ordinal ones, the leaves are called 
leaves, with the word “ frond” following in parenthesis, but in 
the generic and specific descriptions the old term alone is used, 
except in the Rhizocarpez. We have no doubt whatever as to the 
author’s real views upon these points, and rejoice that he has, 
even in part, succeeded in securing a better arrangement and a 
more modern nomenclature, and only regret that it was not pos- 
sible to carry out in full the reform so well begun. 
We find by calculations made by us that the area of the region 
included in this book is but little less than that included in Gray's 
Manual. It is interesting to notice that the number of Rocky 
mountain plants is wonderfully near to that of the Eastern region. 
Doubtless when the Western region has been as fully explored, 
it will have a greater number of species than the Eastern. We 
ive below the comparisons for the different groups: 
ORDERS. GENERA. SPECIES. 
Coulier. | Gray. | Coulter.| Gray. | Coulter.| Gray. 
a eh au o 
Polypetale . .... 38 48 176 255 624 629 
Gamopetalz..... 23 3 181 289 683 751 
D leass 14 48 70 16 187 
voi ledons ..... 75 105 305 614 | 1473 | 1597 
oa onocotyledons.. . 13 22 104 174 347 on 
IGIOSPERMS ....... 88 127 409 | 788 1820 2237 
nee is ees 2. I 6 16 m 
( AMEA ..... 128 I 796 1836 225) 
PTERIDOPHYTA. ..| "7 er a l 
e a =. 132 434 824 | 1881_| 2348 
