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A. J. BROOK, H. KUFFERATH. R. ROSS, P. A. SIMS 
an important part. It is hoped that the following bibliography will 
help tü alleviate this handicap for students of African freshwater 
Algae, for, with the cheap and rapid methods of photocopying now 
available, to know 'what has already been piiblislied is the principal 
step towards j)o.ssessing the literature. 
A bibliography, hovvever, has an additional fiinction, for it re- 
views, adniittedly uncritically, the vvork already atteinpted in a 
particular field, and accordingly reveals some of the gaps in our 
knowledge. Some of tliose in the field of African freshwater Algae 
are emphasised in the présent bibliography by the régional index 
which is aj)j)ended, and by the maj) (fig. 1). These indicate clearly 
that there arc still many régions of the continent about whose fresh¬ 
water Algae we know little or nothing. For example, in contrast to 
the considérable literature on the Algae (tf North Africa, East 
Alrica. and South Africa there are suri)risingly few contributions 
both Iroin the whole of West Africa and from the North East. Fur- 
thermore, while most of the large African lakes bave been studied, 
there arc very few jjajiers dealing with the great rivers which are 
such important liinnological features of the continent. Of these, the 
Nile has been investigated to some extent, the Congo and Zaïnbesi 
a little, but the Niger scarcely at ail, a glaring omission. An impor¬ 
tant and fundamental gaj) of a dilTerent sort is our verv pour 
knowledge of the physics and chemistry of the inland waters of 
Africa, which are often far from fresh. a fact which explains many 
of the différences between their algal llora and that of European 
fresh waters. 
This list is a combination ot two. One was hegun by Brook 
whiist he was at Khartoum and continued, after his return to 
Great Briüûn, largely by Miss Si.ms, with the advice and assistance 
of Ross, in the British Muséum (Natural History). The other was 
prepared in Brussels by H. Kuffkratu. princii)ally in connection 
with his researches on the African Algae collected by the Mission 
Hydrobiolügique du Lac Tanganyika (1946-1947) (Kifferath in 
préparation). We came to know of each other’s work at about the 
stage when we each thought we wcrc almost ready for publication, 
and decided to combine at the suggestion of I)'^ Bourrelly. When 
we did sü, each list was found to contain a considérable number 
of papers not in the other. 
We hâve endeavoured to list ail papers published up to tlie end 
of 195o on the recent Algae of the inland waters ot Africa whether 
fresh or saline. We hâve not included those dealing with fossils, 
of which there are a number, especially on the beds ot freshwater 
diatoms which are widespread in the continent. The geological 
