ally coming to the exterior surface, where by constriction each gives rise to one or more spheroidal conidia. These conidia constitute the white powdery substance spoken of above. Conidia have been observed to germinate in water, sending out long thick hyphæ. Doubtless they serve in some way to quickly communicate the parasite from host to host, but the particular manner of their doing this has not yet been made out.

2. Tarichium stage. In the same host which sustained the Empusa stage, or possibly in another, the hyphæ develop the sexual organs. These are similar to those found in other Saprolegniacea, and give rise to oospores, which have thick and sometimes reticulated walls. The hyphæ and ripe oospores occupy the cavity of the body of the host as a pulverulent mass. oospores (the hypnospores of Cohn) are disseminated by the decay of the body of the host, and after a period of rest reproduce the parasite again.

The

There are doubtless many species of Entomophthora in the United States, but so far as the writer is aware they have been but little studied.

Giard describes a species (E. calliphora) which is found in France parasitic upon Musca (Calliphora) vomitoria; and as this host is one of our common meat flies it is altogether likely that its enemy is to be found here also. The fungus long ago described by Leidy (although not named by him) as occurring in the abdomen of the seventeen-year Cicada, appears from his figures to be a species of this genus. Peck, in the Thirty-first Report of the N. Y. State Museum of Natural History, describes what is probably the Tarichium stage of the same parasite under the new genus Massospora, and says, "it apparently belongs to the Coniomycetes." The species he names M. cicadina. Probably the "muscardine" of the silk-worm (the so-called Botrytis bassiana) will be found to belong here also.

BENNETT'S CLASSIFICATION OF THE CRYPTOGAMS.-In the recent meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, A. W. Bennett proposed a considerable modification of the classification given by Sachs in the fourth edition of the "Lehrbuch." The following sketch will convey to the student who is familiar with Sachs' work, a good idea of the proposed classification.

I. THALLOPHYTA.
CLASS I. PROTOPHYTA.

Sub-class Protomycetes.

Order Schizomycetes.

Under this order Saccharomyces is regarded as an aberrant form.
Sub-class Protophyceæ.

Orders, Protococcacea, Nostocacea, Oscillatoriea, Rivulariea,

Myxomycetes, a low group supplementary to the Protophyta, not exhibiting true sexual conjugation.

CLASS II. FUNGI.

Sub-class Zygomycetes.

Order Mucorini.

Sub-class Oömycetes.

Orders Peronosporea and Saprolegniacea.
Sub-class Carpomycetes.

Orders, Uredineæ, Ustilagineæ, Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes (the last including the Sub-order Lichenes).

CLASS III. ALGE.
Sub-class, Zygophyceæ.

Orders Pandorineæ, Hydrodictyea, Confervacea, Ulotrichacea, Ulvacea, Botrydiea, and Congugate (the last including the Sub-orders Desmidiea, Diatomacea, Zygnemacea and Mesocarpeæ).

Sub-class Oöphyceæ.

Orders Volvocineæ, Siphonea, Sphæropleacea, Edogoniacea, Fucacea and Phaosporea.

Sub-class Carpophyceæ.

Orders Coleochatea and Floridea.

II. CHARACEÆ.

No change is proposed in this group other than separating it as one of the primary divisions of the vegetable kingdom.

III. MUSCINEÆ.

No change is proposed in this division.

IV. VASCULAR CRYPTOGAMS.

Isosporia.

Orders Filices (including Ophioglossaceœ) Lycopodiacea and Equisetacea.

Heterosporia.

Orders Rhizocarpeæ and Selaginellaceæ.

BOTANICAL NOTES.-Planchon reports the advent of the American grape mildew (Peronospora viticola) in the vineyards of France, and Pirotta reports its presence in the Italian vineyards in the Appennines.-Thomas Meehan has prepared a valuable paper on forests and forestry for the forthcoming Report of the State Board of Agriculture of Pennsylvania, the advance sheets of which have been received. After a careful personal examination of the forests of portions of Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee, he concludes "that there is much more timber in the country than people generally believe, though at present in localities not convenient, as a general thing, to market at paying prices." He notes the great rapidity of growth in the trees of the region examined, as contrasted with their slow growth in Europe, and maintains that with proper care and culture, good paying timber can be grown in from fifteen to twenty years.- -In the Journal of Botany for November, Henry Trimen has an interesting article "On the plant affording Cearà India rubber." It is a Brazilian tree (Manihot glaziovii) now grown in Ceylon, and it promises to become a valuable rubber-producing tree.—In the October Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, Mr. Le Roy reports a remarkable case of duration of vitality of the seeds of an undetermined Cucurbit from Patagonia. Seeds from a specimen collected by the Wilkes Exploring Expedition between 1838

and 1842, were planted and successfully germinated the past summer. In the same journal W. R. Gerard begins a "List of the State and local floras of the United States;" it gives the name, date and place of publication of all the important catalogues of plants ever published in this country. As such a list will be very useful to botanists, all who can should contribute to its completeness by communicating with the author, at 9 Waverly Place, New York city. Botanists will be glad to learn that the publication of Dr. T. F. Allen's promising work, " Characeæ Americanæ" has been resumed. The parts now contain three plates each.—“ A manual of the mosses of the United States" is said to be in course of preparation by Thos. P. James and Leo Lesquereux. The authors hope to publish it sometime during 1881.—Dr. Uhlworm's "Botanisches Centralblatt," which covers much the same ground as the well known "Botanischer Jahresbericht," by Dr. Just, promises to be more valuable than the latter in one. respect at least, and that is in the greater promptness of its publication. Anderson, Farlow, Harvey, Lesquereux, Parry and Rothrock are the American contributors.The papers in the last number of Pringsheim's Jahrbücher für wissenschaftliche Botanik are one by Bretfeld upon the healing of wounds, and the separation of the leaf from the twig; one by Müller upon the glands of the Cruciferæ; one by Tangl upon the open passages between the cells in the endosperm of certain seeds (e. g., Strychnos nux-vomica, Areca oleracea and Phoenix dactylifera); and one by Bachman upon the corky outgrowths upon leaves. -The October number of the Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science contains two botanical articles, viz: Bennett on the classification of Cryptogams, and Bennett and Murray on a reformed system of terminology of the reproductive organs of Cryptogamia. The latter will be more fully noticed hereafter.

-Thomas Meehan has been studying the question of the cause of the timber line upon high mountains (Proc. A. N. S. of Philadelphia, Sept., 1880). On Gray's peak the coniferous trees near the line of 11,000 feet are thirty to forty feet high, but at this line they cease as suddenly as if a wood had been cut half away by a woodman's axe." Beyond the timber line the same species exist as dwarf, stunted trailing shrubs, often extending fifteen hundred feet higher up the mountain side. These stunted plants appear never to produce seed! Mr. Meehan's studies in the mountains of North Carolina and in the White mountains of New Hampshire, lead him to the conclusion that the stunted plants are the struggling offspring of trees which at no very remote period extended much further up the mountain than they do now. The reason for the disappearance of the large trees he believes to be due mostly to the disintegration of the rocks and the washing down of the earth from the higher elevations, thus starving the larger vegetation, while still affording conditions permitting the growth of smaller plants.

erroneous,

ZOOLOGY.1

NOTES ON THE LAND-SHELLS OF DOMINICA.-Mr. Guppy, in the Annals and Magazine for 1868, has some remarks on the shells of Dominica, which are partly reproduced by Bland (Am. Four. Conch., Vol. IV., 1868). My stay in Dominica was too short to allow of a complete investigation of the conchology of the island, but was long enough to enable me to ascertain that Guppy's notes, especially as to the distribution of the shells, are extremely He says, 66 on the lower slopes near the sea I found a few Mollusca, chiefly Bulimus exilis, Stenostoma octona, Succinea approximans and Helicina humilis. Ascending higher, we find H. denticus, H. badia, H. josephina, H. nigrescens, Amphibulina patula, B. laticinctus and Heligina epistilia. Excepting the last, all these species are found everywhere above 300 or 400 feet of elevation." The fact is that while the first-named species are found on the lower slopes, they are not all which are so found. H. badia and H. denticus are found abundantly in the gardens in Roseau, but disappear or occur but very sparingly above 800 feet, their place being taken by H. nigrescens and H. josephine, which I have never detected below 800 feet. My notes are necessarily imperfect, but through the kindness of my friend, Dr. H. A. Alford Nicholls, of Roseau, who is making observations and collecting for me, and by more extended collections which I hope to make in person this winter, I shall be able to add to them.

I append a list of the species, not as a complete list of the shells of Dominica, but only of those which I have myself collected.

Helix baudoni Petit.-So closely allied to H. concolor Fer., that I doubt its claim to specific rank. Not common. Road from Roseau to Rosalie; 2000 feet. I have not detected it on the lower slopes.

Helix badia Ferussac.-Abundant on the lower slopes down to sea level, but occurs very sparingly above 800 feet. All the specimens I have seen are smaller than those from Guadeloupe or Martinique.

Helix josephina Ferussac.-Quite abundant above 1000 feet. Last whorl more rounded than in the Guadeloupe specimens. Helix denticus Ferussac.-Common on the lower slopes down to sea level; rare above 800 feet.

Helix nigrescens Wood.-Abundant above 1000 feet.

Bulimus virginalis Pfeiffer.-On trees 2000 feet; not common. Bulimus multifasciatus Lamarck. On trees 2000 feet; not

common.

Bulimus exilis Gmelin.-Abundant below 1000 feet; occurs more sparingly above this height.

1 The departments of Ornithology and Mammalogy are conducted by Dr. ELLIOTT COUES, U. S. A., Washington, D. C.

Bulimus nichollsii Nob.-Quite common on road from Roseau to Rosalie; 2000 feet.

Stenogyra octona Chemnitz.—Abundant everywhere.
Tornatellina antillarum Shuttleworth.-Sparingly at about 500

feet.

Succinia approximans Shuttleworth.-Not common; 300 feet. Succinia rubescens Deshayes.-Not common; 300 feet. Amphibulina patula Bruguiere.-Not common; on bananas at Laudat; 2000 feet. Shell rather larger and more corrugated than the St. Kitts specimens.

Amphibulina tigrina Lesseur.-Rare, 1000 feet on bananas. I have not seen A. pardilina Guppy, but fancy it may prove this. Cyclophorus schrammi Shuttleworth (?). Quite common at 1500 feet. I can see no difference between this and specimens of C. schrammi from Guadeloupe. Cyclotus amethystinus Guppy, I have not seen, but from his own description it is evident that his shell is not a Cyclotus but a Cyclophorus, and presumably this species.

Helicina platycheila Muhlfeldt. Not common; 800 feet.
Helicina rhodostoma Gray. Not common; 1500 feet.
Helicina fasciata Lamarck.-Not rare; 800 feet.

Helicina antillarum Sowerby. Common everywhere, but most abundant in the lower slopes.

Bland (Ann. Lyceum, Vol. x, 1872) quotes a letter from Dr. W. J. Branch, of St. Kitts, to the effect that Amphibulina patula is unable to contract the entire animal within the shell, but expresses his doubt as to the truth of this observation. I have frequently seen the animal completely contracted within the shell in living specimens, although it is not its usual habit even when alarmed; if thrown into alcohol or glycerine, it immediately withdraws the whole body into the shell.

In giving the altitude at which the different species occur, I mean, that so far neither Dr. Nicholls nor myself have found them at any less elevation. Further search in which Dr. Nicholls is now engaged will undoubtedly extend their range, but I am quite confident that none of the species will be found to vary materially from these figures in their distribution as to elevation.— A. D. Brown.

BREEDING HABITS OF THE EUROPEAN AS COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE AMERICAN OYSTER.-Regarding this interesting subject, we print the following extract from a letter from Capt. Francis Winslow, U. S. N., to Prof. W. K. Brooks, of Johns Hopkins University.

"U. S. S. SARATOGA, GIBRALTAR, June 14, 1880. "I got hold of some oysters in Cadiz a few days ago, and upon examining them found them in so favorable a condition that I attempted to fertilize the eggs according to your method, and I thought you might like to know that the experiment has been