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In a recent article on the distribution of Isoetes saccharata, 

 in the Botanical Gazette, the author notes that /. saccharata is 

 found only in Chesapeake Bay, while /. riparia, a form that close- 

 ly resembles it. is found only in Delaware Bay, and that, notwith- 

 standing the small differences between the two, there have been 

 described two intermediate forms, /. saccharata Pahncn and /. s. 

 reticulata. From this and other facts, he inclines to the belief 

 that /. riparia is simply an extreme form of saccharata, A 

 curious circumstance connected with the species and forms is that 

 specimens collected in a certain locality appeared one season as 

 the type and the next as the variety. This is not the only instance 

 on record of Isoetes species intergrading. Mr. A. A. Eaton has 

 noted that the variety Calif ornica of /. mclanopoda intergrades 

 on the one hand with /. Howclli and on the other with the type, 

 while specimens referred to I. mexicana by Underwood have since 

 been identified as /. Orcutti and /. mclanopoda. All this seems 

 to indicate that the systematists have not yet got hold of the 

 proper characters upon which to found specific differences, and 

 there is here a chance for a philosophical botanist to distinguish 

 himself. It is not enough that the plants look different ; the dif- 

 ferences must be specific. All of the forms of Bquisetum avense 

 look different, but they are not species by any means. 



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Plans are being made for another meeting of fern students 

 at St. Louis this winter, during the session of the American As- 

 sociation for the Advancement of Science. There is a prospect of 

 some excellent papers to be presented, and a large and enthus- 

 iastic meeting is assured. Programs and other information may 

 be obtained of Prof. X. L. T. Nelson. Central High School, St. 

 Louis, Mo., or of the editor of The Fern Bulletin. The editor 

 expects to be at the meeting and hopes to meet there the majority 

 of his readers. 



BOOK NEWS. 



With two books like "Our Ferns in Their Haunts" and 

 "How to Know the Ferns," in the field, some might think that 

 the ground is too thoroughly covered to leave room for another, 



