ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
417 
Early Stages in Bog Succession. — George B. Rigg ( Publ . Puget 
Sound Biol. Station , 1919, 2, 195-210). A study of some of the 
numerous instances of early stages of bog succession in the Puget 
Sound region. Lack of drainage is the main factor of bog formation. 
The Sphagnum bog advances on and succeeds the swamp. It gradually 
fills lakes, advancing by support of the woody or herbaceous bog plants. 
It often advances directly into shallow water without the aid of other 
plants. It may also be aided by free floating mats of vegetation. 
Sphagnum bogs develop on different types of soil, but slowly on well- 
drained soils. A. G. 
Muscinese peculiar to the Auvergne. — P. Culmann ( Revue Bryo- 
logique, 1920', 65-9). A discussion of the Muscinese which are reputed 
to be peculiar to the Auvergne, and to occur nowhere else, in France at 
least. These, according to J. Heribaud, amount to 32 species. How- 
ever, upon investigation, it is shown that only 2 out of the 13 hepatics 
on the list are limited to the Auvergne ; while of the 19 mosses on the 
list, 7 are struck out at once, half-a-dozen are critical species, 1 or 2 are 
wrongly named, only 3 are well represented in Auvergne, while 8 are 
very rare there. It is impossible at present to estimate the exact 
number of brvophytes peculiar to the Auvergne, but it probably does 
not exceed half-a-dozen. A. G. 
Some Auvergne Mosses with Imperfect Peristome. — P. Culmann 
{Revue Bryologique , 1921, 17-22). A discussion which leads to the 
following conclusions : — Tortula obtusifolia is a sub-species of T. muralis 
and does not belong to the group atrovirens-revolvens. Desmatodon 
arenaceus must not be regarded as a form of the preceding, but consti- 
tutes a proper species — T. arenacea. Grimmia plagiopodia var. arvernica 
is characterized solely by the constant imperfection of its peristome. 
A. G . 
Bryological Notes from Sicily. — W. E. Nicholson {Revue Bryo- 
logique , 1921, 38-43). The author and H. N. Dixon visited Sicily in 
April 1914, and obtained a number of bryophytes, comprising nearly 
50 mosses and 16 hepatics ; 14 of the mosses are additions to Bottini’s 
list. A. G. 
Moss Flora of Granite Blocks in Lettland. — N. Malta {Acta 
Universitatis Latviensis , 1921, 1, 108-24; see also Bryologist, 1922, 25, 
38). A list of 15 hepatics and 96 mosses which are true granite 
dwellers is supplied, and the question of the colonization of such erratic 
blocks in a lowland plain is discussed. Four associations of mosses are 
recognized — three of them controlled by relative exposure to sunlight, 
and the fourth (hydrophytic) by abundance of moisture. A. G. 
Considerations on the Moss Flora of New Caledonia and 
Diagnoses of New Species. — I. Theriot {Revue Bryologique , 1920, 
69-71 ; 1921, 11-16, 22-8, 54-9). No more than 126 mosses of 
New Caledonia were known to Bescherelle in 1873, and this total 
remained stationary for thirty years ; but thereafter the activities of 
A. Le Rat and his wife and of I. Franc added more than 300 species to 
the flora. The total has now risen to 528. Theriot hopes yet to find 
