72 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vor. XXXVI. 
1180 species of vertebrates, systematically arranged, with the vernac- 
ular names Of each species. The identification is made from stand- 
ard authorities and is generally correct, reflecting much credit on 
„the patience and conscientiousness of its author, Mr. Namiye. 
R. Lauterborn (Zool. Anzeiger, Bd. XXIV (1901), pp. 50-55) has 
found that shallow fresh-water ponds covered with such floatihg plants 
as duckweed, and with bottoms of black vegetable ooze often gener- 
ating hydrogen sulphide, contain a very uniform and characteristic 
life. The flora is mostly sulphur bacteria, the almost complete 
absence of desmids and diatoms being very striking. The fauna 
contains, in addition to certain rhizopods and flagellates, no less than 
eighteen exclusively characteristic species of Infusoria. The author 
proposes to call this well-defined fauna and flora sapropelic, because 
of its association with decaying mud. 

BOTANY. 
‘A New Work on Gymnosperms.' — This is a very welcome addi- 
tion to the list of books dealing with the special morphology of the 
higher plants. 
The last five years have been notable for the number of impor- 
tant contributions to our knowledge of the Gymnosperms, and these 
recent discoveries have very materially changed the older views as 
to the affinities of some of them, notably the Ginkgoales. The book 
before us summarizes, very successfully, the results of these investi- 
gations, and should be very much appreciated by all botanical 
students. 
While the book is largely a compilation, it includes some original 
MUS especially in the illustrations, many of which are vessel 
The book deals principally with the reproductive parts, which are 
treated very much in detail While the writer agrees with the 
authors that an elaborate discussion of the vegetative organs was, 
impracticable in a book of this character, still the value of the book 
would have been much enhanced bya proper treatment of the more 
1 Coulter, J. M., and Chamberlain, C.J. Morphology of nate mci New 
oo TAE pd 8vo, prit. NA. 




