No. 535] NOTES AND LITERATURE 



4:*9 



consistently left new species in synonymy unless their right to 

 independent rank has been made clear. In general, the British 

 Museum publications have been characterized by the assumption 

 that a species is not valid until it is represented in the collections 

 of the museum. There is room for many differences of opinion 

 in regard to the relation of certain forms, and in regard to mat- 

 ters of nomenclature, but there can be no difference of opinion 

 as to the great value of this work, and as to the accuracy of these 

 fine plates, most of these being copies of the colored drawings 

 of Mr. Garrett. 



In the Zoological Magazine of Tokyo, Dr. Kishinouye has a 

 paper on the Sparoid fishes of Japan. It is probably a valuable 

 paper, but, being written almost entirely in Japanese, it becomes 

 inaccessible to naturalists of the rest of the world, and it is 

 hoped that this will not establish a precedent, at least unless a 

 resume in some modern language can accompany the descrip- 

 tions of new species, and the new material which the writer is 

 able to add. 



David Starr Jordan. 



SOME EE CENT BOOKS ON FOSSIL PLANTS 

 The appearance within two years of three general works on 

 paleobotany, is a sufficiently marked indication of the great 

 interest which this phase of botany at the present time is exciting 

 in England. 1 Much of the most important work which is now 

 being published by the British botanists deals with fossil plants. 



The English botanist is in some respects at a great disadvan- 

 tage compared with his American colleagues. The comparatively 

 meagre flora of the British Islands has already been exhaustively 

 studied, and is a strong contrast to the extensive and varied 

 flora of North America, which, except in the older parts of the 

 country, still offers a rich field to the systematist and plant- 

 geographer, as well as to students of morphology and physiology. 

 This difference in the natural advantages of the two countries no 

 doubt explains to some extent the greater interest in fossil 

 plants shown by the English botanists. But unquestionably 

 much more important is the availability of great collections of 

 important fossils await itur investigation: and the important 

 1 Scott, D. H., "Studies in Fossil Botany," 2 vols., London, Adam and 

 Charles Black, 1908-9. Seward, A. C, "Fossil Plants," Vol. II, Cam- 

 bridge University Press, 1910. Stopes, Marie C, "Ancient Plants," 

 Blackie & Son, London, 1910. 



