No. 421.] NOTES AND LITERATURE. 73 
important anatomical characters of the vegetative organs of the prin- 
cipal groups. This is especially the case in regard to the apical 
meristems. A single borrowed figure (Fig. 48) is hardly sufficient 
to make clear the characters of the apical meristems of the whole 
group. 
Four coordinate series of living Gymnosperms are recognized, vis. : 
Cycadales, Ginkgoales, Coniferales, Gnetales. These are considered 
successively, the details of the gametophyte and embryo being treated 
very completely. On the whole, the treatment of the Cycads and 
Ginkgoales is most satisfactory, although including less original 
matter than the chapter on the Conifers. The important work of 
Webber, Lang, Ikeno, and Hirase are given full attention, and the 
chapters are fully illustrated by numerous well selected and well 
executed figures. 
The chapter on the Conifers is to a great extent a study of Pinus 
laricio, presumably the work of the junior author. This is very com- 
plete and admirably executed. It is to be regretted, however, that 
the author did not include some of the numerous important Ameri- 
can types as well as the highly specialized genus Pinus. The work 
hitherto done upon the genera Taxodium, Sequoia, Torreya, Thuja, 
etc., is very incomplete, and the inclusion of these in the book would 
have been a real contribution to the literature of the subject. As it 
is, the chapter on the Conifers must be considered much less satis- 
factory than those upon the other orders. 
The later chapters treat very satisfactorily the fossil Gymno- 
sperms, comparative morphology of Gymnosperms, phylogeny and 
geographical distribution. A valuable feature in the chapter upon 
the fossil forms is a series of photographs illustrating some of the 
Mesozoic Cycads of the United States. 3 
The conclusions as to the origin and affinities of the Gymnosperms 
are essentially the same as those given by Professor D. H. Scott in 
his recent work on fossil plants, £.e., all of the existing Gymnosperms 
are referable to a common ancestral stock, of filicineous origin. 
This conclusion, we surmise, will not be admitted, without reserva- 
tion, by all botanists. 
The illustrations are, for the most part, extremely good. Some of 
the half-tone figures, however, such as the sections of leaves shown 
in Figs. 5 and 47, are too blurred to have much value, and might 
well be replaced by good line drawings. 
An admirable feature of the book is the carefully prepared bibliog- 
. raphies at the end of the chapters. 
