No.416.] REVIEWS OF RECENT LITERATURE. 693 
given in Latin, and there is an elaborate key to the species in 
the same. The detailed notes under the species, as well as the 
general chapters, are in German. These general chapters give a 
full résumé, with illustrations in the text, of the structure, develop- 
ment, and physiology of the (Edogoniacezm. Description, measure- 
ments, synonyms, and localities are given in ample detail, and the 
plates represent all the species and forms. The figures are in out- 
line, and were drawn by the author from nature; all are of the same 
scale, 300/1, except a few details requiring a higher scale, and one 
habit figure of CEdocladium. This uniformity of scale is. a great 
convenience in actual use of the work. 
The standard work on this family has been Wittrock's Prodromus 
Monographie GEdogoniearum, published in 1874. In this are repre- 
sented 140 species, but only a single plate, of general types, accom- 
panied the work. In a family like this, where the vegetative 
Characters are of great simplicity, the need of accurate figures 
increases even more rapidly than the number of species ; the best 
of descriptions are insufficient. So that, though De Toni’s Sy//oge 
Algarum gives descriptions of all species published up to 1889, it is 
extremely difficult to determine species*by it. Dr. Hirn had the 
advantage of study with Wittrock and Nordstedt, had opportunity to 
examine type specimens of nearly all species, and had been receiv- 
ing material from collectors in all parts of the world for a number of 
years. As a result, the list of habitats includes all parts of the 
earth; even South America, generally an algological zerra incognita, 
being quite well represented. North America, though with few 
exclusive species, shows quite a rich flora, but the author wisely 
places a (?) against those references in Wolle which he has not been 
able to verify by authentic specimens. Of the 244 species, forty- 
five are described here for the first time. F. S. COLLINS. 
Notes. — Biltmore Botanical Studies is the title of a new journal of 
botany embracing papers by the director and associates of the Bilt- 
more herbarium, the first number of which was issued on the 8th of 
April Itis published at Biltmore, N. C. The first number contains 
a revision of the species of Marshallia and descriptions of a consid- 
able number of new species of other genera. 
Fascicle 1 of Vol. II of Plante Bakeriane, by Professor E. L. 
Greene and others, covering fungi to grasses of Mr. Baker’s collec- 
tions of 1899, has been issued under date of March 11. 
