News Notes 
207 
Garnier, B. S., Ed. NetiJ Zealand Weather and Climate. 
154 pp., 14 figs. Misc. Series No. 1, New Zealand 
Geographical Society^ Auckland, New Zealand. 
As a series of essays on related topics rather 
than an organized work progressing through 
the subjects from start to finish, this booklet 
presents some very concise and informative 
material on the New Zealand climate. 
All the papers are in readable, descriptive 
terms and cover a history of the New Zealand 
Weather Service from its beginning in 1859 
to the present day, a description of the geo- 
graphical and seasonal variations of New 
Zealand climate, and a classification of these 
climates according to the Thornthwaite sys- 
tem. The compilation includes several papers 
which have appeared elsewhere as well as 
several new discussions to make up the first 
in a series of special publications by the 
newly formed New Zealand Geographical 
Society. Accompanying data and figures give 
average monthly and annual rainfall and 
temperature figures for principal weather 
stations and mean annual rainfall maps for 
a 3 5 -year period of record. Other figures in- 
clude maps of rainfall variability and charts 
of rainfall, hail and fog frequency, prevailing 
wind, temperatures, etc., for related stations. 
Of primary interest to meteorologists will 
be the discussion of forecasting New Zealand 
weather by Ian M. Watts. The author makes 
use of an unusual illustrative technique in 
describing the weather and cloud distribu- 
tions associated with the various types of 
meteorological disturbances passing through 
the country. These are in the form of photo- 
graphs of relief maps over which tufts of 
cotton representing clouds have been placed. 
These photographs give the reader an excel- 
lent picture of an area with which he is likely 
to be unfamiliar, thus allowing him to follow 
the discussion readily. 
Although the editor makes apologies for 
publishing a book on "such a small and 
sparsely populated country as New Zea- 
land,” this book represents a type of informa- 
tion which, should be available for a great many 
more areas of the world. It is happy to note 
in this respect that this is only the first of a 
series of publications designed to provide an 
outlet for geographical research on the New 
Zealand Area~W. A. Mordy. 
Taylor, William Randolph. Plants of Bikini and 
Other Northern Marshall Islands. University of 
Michigan Studies, Scientific Series, Vol. 18: xv + 
227 pp., color frontispiece, 79 plates. University of 
Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, 1950. |5.50. 
Dr. Taylor’s attractive book is the account 
of his plant collections made on "Operation 
Crossroads” preliminary to the atomic bomb- 
ing of Bikini Atoll. Excluded are the phyto- 
plankton and the bacteria; included are 181 
algae, 12 fungi, 6 lichens, 1 moss, and 56 
flowering plants. 
The introductory chapters include: previ- 
ous botanical exploration of the Marshall 
Islands; descriptions of the atolls and their 
marine flora; characteristics of the land flora; 
and detailed botanical features of the atolls 
studied — Rongerik, Rongelap, Bikini, and 
Eniwetok. 
The remaining text consists of a systematic 
account of the plant species. For Cryptogams 
there is given the class name, the family name, 
the generic name, its authority and date, the 
binomial and authority, a description (often 
full and detailed), a discussion of the habitat 
and special features or relationships, and a 
citation of collections by islands. Synonyms 
are conspicuously lacking, as is the reference 
to the place of publication of the accepted 
name of the species or taxon. The full Latin 
diagnoses of the new plants are in an ap- 
pendix. 
For the Spermatophyta the treatment is 
similar. It is possible from clear statements 
or implications to calculate that the higher 
plants consist of 40 indigenous, 8 adventive, 
5 crop, and 3 cultivated ornamental plants. 
The descriptions are full and the localities 
definite. After each generic heading is given 
the authority, but the date (which was given 
in the Cryptogams) is here omitted. 
In the nomenclature there are numerous 
inadequacies. If the pre-Linnaean author 
Plumier is to be credited with the genus 
Fisonia (p. 177), as was done by Linnaeus 
himself, it should be written Plumier ex Lin- 
naeus, and so, too, should the same authority 
be credited for Hernandia (p. 181), Suriana 
(p. 183), Triumfetta (p. 186), Cordia (p. 194), 
and Ximenia (p. 198), Similarly the full 
author citation for the following genera 
should be: Eragrostis (p. 164) Palisot de- 
