ALBERT

Description: The genus Praravinia was created by KORTHALS (in TEMMINCK, Verhand. Nat. Gesch. Ned. Overz. Bezitt., Bot., p. 189, tab. 41, 1839-1842) for a plant which he had collected in the south-eastern part of Borneo. He described it as similar in habit and doubtless nearly related to Urophyllum WALL. His diagnosis of the genus, however, does not substantiate this point of view, for it contains two statements which seem to exclude the possibility of a near affinity: the aestivation of the corolla lobes is described as imbricate, whereas in Urophyllum and its allies it is always valvate, and the number of corolla lobes is said to be half as large as that of the stamens, a condition unknown not only in Urophyllum but in the whole family. As in the description of the species the aestivation is correctly set down as valvate, the first statement need not trouble us: the word “imbricate” in the generic diagnosis is obviously a slip of the pen. The other statement, however, is repeated in the description of the species, but it strikes one as anomalous that immediately afterwards the 8—12 stamens are said to alternate with the corolla lobes, as this of course would be impossible when the latter were but half as numerous as the first. The discrepancy between the number of the corolla lobes and of the stamens led MIQUEL in his “Flora Indiae Batavae II, p. 225 (1857)” to consider Praravinia as a quite singular genus, rather out of place in the family Rubiaceae: it reminded him, he says, of the Samydeae (Flacourtiaceae). When he wrote this, he knew the genus merely from the description given by KORTHALS, but afterwards he found an opportunity to study the latter’s material. In his “De quibusdam Rubiaceis, Apocyneis et Asclepiadeis” (Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. IV, p. 136, 1869) he proposes, as a result of this investigation, to exclude the genus from the Rubiaceae, and to raise it to family rank. The new family, for which he introduces the name Metrocladeaceae, should be regarded, however, as nearly related to the Rubiaceae. The description of the genus given by MIQUEL is much more detailed than the original one, but it unfortunately repeats its principal errors: the corolla is described as 4- to 6-merous, and its aestivation as imbricate. The male flower dissected by him is preserved in the Utrecht Herbarium; it is a fairly young bud, opened by a longitudinal slit. The corolla lobes had apparently been separated by a slight pressure, but I at once got the impression that it had been insufficient to effect a complete separation, and that the lobes were still cohering in pairs. I have boiled the flower therefore once more, and by exercising in my turn a slight pressure I succeeded in setting all the lobes free. Since then I have seen mature flowers of this and other species in which the isomery of corolla and androecium was unmistakable. MIQUEL’s speculations on the taxonomic position of the genus were based therefore on a false supposition, and need no further consideration; the analysis carried out below will show that KORTHALS was quite right when he placed Praravinia in the neighbourhood of Urophyllum.

Description: The name Pleiocarpidia was coined by K. SCHUMANN (ENGLER und PRANTL, Natürliche Pflanzenfamilien, Nachträge I, p. 314, 1897) for a genus described in 1873 by HOOKER f. (BENTHAM et HOOKER, Genera Plantarum II (1), p. 71) as Aulacodiscus: HOOKER’S genus had to be rebaptized, because the name Aulacodiscus had been used already in 1844 by EHRENBERG for a genus belonging to the Diatomeae. A proposal made by O. KUNTZE(POST et KUNTZE, Lexicon, 1904) to change the spelling of the name introduced by SCHUMANN in Pliocarpidia can not be accepted, as there is no rule prescribing the transcription of the Greek diphthong in the manner advocated by the proposer. The plant on which HOOKER’S genus was founded, a small tree not uncommon in the Malay Peninsula, had been described already several years before by WIGHT (Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. VII, p. 144, 1847) under the name Axanthes enneandra. The specific epithet points to the presence of nine stamens in the flower, but this is exceptional: in the flowers investigated by me the ordinary number proved to be seven. The genus Axanthes Bl., to which the species had been referred by WIGHT, was reduced shortly afterwards by BENTHAM and HOOKER f. (Niger Flora,p. 396,1849) and independently by KORTHALS (Ned. Kruidk. Arch. II, 2, p. 194,1851) to Urophyllum Wall. Later HOOKER made an exception for Axanthes enneandra Wight. The flowers of this plant were described by him as 8- to 16-merous, and on account of this character and of the presence of a “peltate stigma” he referred it to a new genus. Afterwards a second species from the same region was described by KING and GAMBLE under the name Aulacodiscus Maingayi, but this proved identical with the first (cf. RIDLEY, Flora of the Malay Peninsula II, p. 64, 1923). A really new species, however, was found in Mindanao: it was described by Merrill as Pleiocarpidia lanaensis.

Description: As an introduction to a number of researches of his own the author wishes to give the following data: „Veen” has two meanings in Dutch: 1. in a petrographic sense (peat) Von Büllow’s definition was accepted: „Torf” ist zu deflnieren als ein meist dunkles, kohlenstoffreiches und ± saures Gemenge unvollständig spezifisch-zersetzter Pflanzenteile, das erdgeschichtlich jüngste Glied der Verwantschaftsreihe der Kohlen, dessen Bildung noch heute andauert.” 2. in a plant-sociological-geographic sense (bog) the following definition has been suggested: a bog is a plot, the surface of which consists of a layer of peat, either covered or not with vegetation, with which that layer is genetically connected. The classification of bogs according to their position with regard to the water-level of the surroundings (Staring) and that of the geological chart were rejected on account of their ambiguous character. The classification suggested by Van Baren according to the environment in which the bogs have been formed, was likewise thought insufficient. Preference was given to the classification according to the plants which gave rise to the peat (eutrophic, mesotrophic and oligotrophic bogs) and according to the origin of the water needed for peat formation (topogenous, ombrogenous and soligenous bogs). The conditions of peat-formation are of a botanical (presence of a vegetation and micro-organisms), climatologic (presence of a certain temperature and moisture) and geological nature (presence of a basin, valley or dead river-branch, certain level of ground water, a possible impervious layer). With reference to a number of authors (Picardt; Van Lier; Grisebach, Venema and Staring; Weber) the alteration in conception as to peatformation from the 17th via the 18th and 19th to the 20th century has been given. The word „Peel” cannot be derived from „palus”. Nothing is certain about its origin. It may mean the low land, bog or marsh. The bogs of the Peel lie on the Brabant-Limburg border-plateau (fig. 2). Lorié and Pannekoek van Rheden have shown that the peatformation of the Peel is likely to have occurred in channels, which have been formed by the Meuse, in co-operation with wind and rain (fig. 4). The bogs were therefore in the first instance topogenous formations, which afterwards developed into ombrogenous bogs. For his own research the author collected peat in three ways: 1. by cutting lumps of peat from open profiles; 2. by boring with a simple peat-bore (photograph 1); 3. by boring with the Utrecht peat-bore, an improvement on Dachnowski’s (fig. 5). To assist in the pollen-analytic examination the samples were treated according to Erdtman’s method. The latter has the following advantages compared with the usual treatment with a 10% KOH-solution: 1. the surface-structures of the pollen-grains are more distinct and as a result the grains themselves can be recognized better; 2. the pollen is more concentrated, so that in spite of the method taking up much time, a saving of time is possible. How the method is applied may be found in the chapter concerned (p. 38 and following). For the stratigraphic examination the samples were broken apart in a glass-bowl of water and viewed with a binocular microscope. Dry sandy samples were broken in water, when seeds and other vegetative parts came floating to the top; next they were put with a brush on thick blotting paper and studied through the binocular microscope. The designations for the sediments and species of peat have been derived from Fægri & Gams. For Scheuchzeria peat a new designation has been added. A plea was made for replacing the word pollen-analysis by „palynology”. A survey of the observations and examinations up to abt. 1935 closes the introduction (see the diagrams of Weber, Erdtman and Duyfjes in the figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9). The author’s own research refers to the Southern and Astense Peel, as in the remaining grounds of the geological chart indicated I 4v (= raised bog) no samples could be taken owing to the digging off having progressed too far. 10 profiles were examined. The situation of the bore-sites has been given in the geological chart of the grounds (fig. 3). The result of the examination (figs. 10—27) and the discussion on it may be summerized as follows: Zoning of pollen-diagrams The sub-zoning of the late- and post-glacial periods according to Blytt & Sernander has proved useful as a zoning of pollen-diagrams, provided atlantic and sub-boreal are joined. It is desirable to replace Blytt & Sernander’s terminology by a different one, because the authors gave a climatologic connotation to their names of periods. The limit between pleistocene and holocene was drawn between preboreal and boreal as Florschütz did. As phases of the holocene the following names were suggested: young post-glacial = sub-atlantic mid post-glacial = sub-boreal and atlantic old post-glacial = boreal. Neither in the Peel nor elsewhere in Holland have Allerød-deposits been found. They are not likely to be found either, as on account of the long distance from the land-ice-margin the flora will have been hardly or not at all influenced by the Allerød interstadial period. For Holland therefore the zoning of the late-glacial according to Firbas (1935) may be considered sufficient. The names of the periods do not bear a climatologic connotation as those of the post-glacial phases do. For the sake of a unity the following names have been suggested: young late-glacial = pre-boreal mid late-glacial = sub-arctic period old late-glacial = arctic period. Forest-history In a table (p. 98), in which likewise the Peel diagrams of Weber, Erdtman and Duyfjes have been inserted, the examined profiles have been arranged from North to South. From each profile it has been stated whether it originated in a certain period (+) or not (—). The sub-arctic phase was characterized by forests of Betula and Pinus and was followed by the pre-boreal phase, in which Corylus and Alnus occurred. Also from the other Dutch diagrams (see list on p. 99) it appeared that in the Netherlands the Alnus pollen occurs with an equal frequency before, during and after that of the Quercetum mixtum. The old post-glacial zone of the diagrams shows a peak in the Pinusline. In contrast with the from Mid-Europe there is not always a maximum in the Corylus-curve after the Pinus-peak. In other Dutch diagrams this phenomenon is likewise found. Only in 28% of all Dutch profiles with a boreal zone does a hazel-maximum succeed a Pinus one. They often co-incide (16%), while in the remaining cases no hazelpeak has been established. There is no fixed order of sequence in the occurrence of the components of the Quercetum mixtum, either in the Peel or elsewhere in Holland. The mid post-glacial is the phase of culmination of warmth-loving forest elements: Alnus pollen shows the highest percentage in this zone. Quercus pollen also occurs in great quantities, while Ulmus and Tilia take up an important place up to the „Grenzhorizont”. The absolute and empiric Fagus pollen limits are found at different heights in the mid post-glacial zone of the diagrams, the rational limit lies somewhere near the „Grenzhorizont”. In the young post-glacial phase the Fagus pollen attains fairly high percentages (up to 30%). The maxima in the East and South-east of the Netherlands are between 20% and 38%; they decrease towards the coast and increase towards the South-east (Hautes Fagnes, Belgium) and East (Germany). It seems incorrect to class the Netherlands almost entirely among the oak-alderterritory poor in beeches, as Firbas did. An attempt has been made to fit the Peel-diagrams into Overbeck & Schneider’s zonation system. For the territory for which it has been made there are already difficulties (p. 104), for use in the Peel and other Dutch diagrams there are even more objections (p. 68, 104). Godwin’s zonation system appeared to be a little less forced, but not quite useful on account of too many details. From his horizons that of Ulmus proved useless for the continent. Neither for the Peel nor for the Netherlands and its surrounding territory can a detailed zonation system be designed. It has proved difficult to proceed any farther than Rudolph’s „Grundsukzession”: birch, pine-hazel-mixed oak-forest-beech, in which the alder generally joins the mixed oak-forest and the hornbeam the beech. Before drawing far-reaching conclusions from the course of the curves (as has been done by some authors) more palynological researches are needed in accordance with the actuality principle, known from geology. Pollen-grains from warmth-loving trees in seemingly sub-arctic spectra In profile 4 (Deurnse Peel II) pollen-grains of Abies, Alnus, Picea, Tilia, Ulmus and Corylus were found in the „late-glacial” zone (figs. 14, 15). Investigations were made as to which of the following possibilities would be the cause of their appearance: 1. in taking and preparing the samples pollution occurred; 2. pollen-transport over long distances has taken place; 3. the pollen-grains found have got secondarily into the deposit; 4. warmth-loving trees have occurred in favourable circumstances in the late-glacial phase or 5. in an interstadial period or in an interglacial phase. The said pollen-grains probably hail from a Würm interstadial or interglacial phase. Interglacial peat On the site of the bore-point 7 it was possible to collect samples from the layers under the peat. The upper 40 cm of the diagram Griendtsveen IX (fig. 27) of this profile proved a repetition of the lower 40 cm of the Griendtsveen I profile (fig. 18). The diagram shows that pollen of Carpinus, Picea and Abies occurs showing the deposit to be of interglacial age. The pollen-curves, however, pass unnoticed from an interglacial into a post-glacial portion. The limit is likely to be found between the two, about 30 cm below the mowing field. There is therefore a great stratigraphic hiatus. Pollen-analytically it could not be decided from which interglacial period the profile hails; on account of its situation on the middle terrace, it was deemed likely that it was an Eem sea deposit. The examined profile probably corresponds to Jessen & Milthers’ zone g; showing it to have been formed at the end of the Eem sea period. The Meuse therefore cannot have flowed through this part of the Astense Peel after the mid Eemean phase. Stratigraphy This is difficult to summarize. Compare various profiles. Individual mention may be made here of: 1. peat on a podsol layer; this was found in two places (Deurnse Peel I Kraaienhut and Griendtsveen VIII). Peat-formation may be thought to have occurred in the following way: heather started growing on drift-sand giving rise to a podsol layer. As the latter is impervious the vegetation surface became marshy. The heath was replaced by a Caricetum from which peat arose. Gradually more Eriophorum occurred, from which almost pure vaginatum peat arose. The bog-surface grew moister and moister, Sphagnum cuspidatum and Scheuchzeria could grow on it and formed a „Vorlaufstorf”. Only then could non-extremehydrophile Sphagna join in peat-formation. 2. the occurrence of Scheuchzeria-peat after the „Grenzhorizont” period. This species of peat, which is often found at the basis of the old Sphagnum-peat as a mesotrophic transition vegetation, has for the Netherlands only been found in the young post-glacial phase in the Peel (Deurnse Peel I Kraaienhut, Griendtsveen V and VIII and Nederweerd). At present the plant is very rare. The severe decline of this plant was also observed elsewhere. Probably it is caused by the gradual drying up or reclaiming of the raised bogs. Of the present station of Scheuchzeria near Ommen a short description has been given (p. 59 and photographs 2, 3, 4). 3. the „Grenzhorizont”. Where the young Sphagnum-peat has not been dug for the preparation of moss-litter, the Peel bogs show a clear „Grenzhorizont” (photograph 8). The conceptions about its origin have been discussed. The distinct separation between the old and the young Sphagnum-peat was not considered sufficiently explained. Though on the whole the „Grenzhorizont” is synchronous in the North-west European profiles, the point of transition from old to young Sphagnumpeat was fairly unstable and easily changeable as to time. Generally the date of the „Grenzhorizont” is fixed at about 500 A.D., though there are differences in opinion. There is a lack of archeological correlation which renders a correct dating impossible. Interference of man in the Peel Three ways of interference were stated: 1. peat has been dug off for the greater part in the territory of the Peel: young Sphagnum-peat for the preparation of moss-litter, old Sphagnum-peat for fuel. The trees which appeared when the bog was dug up in the „Veenderij der Maatschappij Griendtsveen” are sometimes in so good a condition, that they are used for building sheds. The 1 st, 2nd and 4th beam in the foreground of the shed in photo 5 has been sawn from a 30 m long subfossil pine. 2. in a native peat-digging it was possible to collect recent young Sphagnum-peat. 40 to 50 years ago the peasants living there had dug peat in holes, which were afterwards left to themselves. Sphagnum started growing again and the holes were filled in again. The diagram (fig. Griendtsveen VII) represents the surrounding heath with scattered pines and birches, sown by the wind, and a pine-plantation close by. 3. in the profiles Nieuwe Peel, Griendtsveen VI and VII it has been fixed by the indications given by Firbas, that only in the surface layers of the bog has corn-pollen occurred. So in these parts cultivation of cereals will be of recent date. This also appeared from the history of the reclamation of the said territory.

Description: JEAN BAPTISTE CHRISTOPHE FUSÉE AUBLET est né à Salon (Provence) le 4 nov. 1720 et mort à Paris le 6 mai 1778. Dès son enfance il se passionna pour l’étude des plantes. Il alla étudier la botanique à Montpellier. De Montpellier il se rendit à Lyon, où il fit la connaissance de CHRISTOPHE DE JUSSIEU et il s’engagea dans le service des hôpitaux de l’armée commandée par l’infant DON PHILIPPE. Dégoûté bientôt de la vie des camps, il prit son congé, et vint à Paris. Là il se logea dans la maison du chimiste VANEL, suivait les cours de chimie de ROUELLE, visitait les environs de Paris en naturaliste et consultait BERNARD DE JUSSIEU comme une bibliothèque, pour nous servir de son expression. Ensuite il s’engagea au service de l’état et fut chargé d’établir à l’île-de-France (Mauritius) une pharmacie centrale et un jardin de botanique. Il s’embarqua en décembre 1752 et arriva vers la fin du mois d’août suivant. Il y fit un séjour de neuf ans, pendant lequel il envoya maintes fois des collections de plantes, de minéraux et d’animaux à la patrie. A peine de retour en France, il reçut l’ordre de s’embarquer à Bordeaux pour la Guyane. Il mit à la voile le 20 mai 1762, et mouilla l’ancre le 23 juillet à l’île de Cayenne. Le 24 sept. 1764 AUBLET prit un moment la direction de l’établissement colonial du môle Saint-Nicolas à Saint Domingue; et au commencement de l’année suivante il revint en France. C’est à Paris qu’il profita des conseils de BERNARD DE JUSSIEU pour mettre en ordre ses collections de plantes et pour rédiger l’important ouvrage, qui a pour titre: Histoire des plantes de la Guiane françoise, Londres et Paris, 1775, 4 vol. in 4°, dont deux de planches. Ces notices biographiques ont été empruntées à la Nouvelle Biographie Universelle, vol. III, Paris, 1852 et à l’introduction précédant son livre et écrite par AUBLET lui-même.

Description: Whilst studying the material of the genus Securidaca for the “Flora of Suriname”, I found it in most cases extremely difficult or even impossible to identify the species. The original descriptions are, as a rule, very short, and they have been based for a good deal on incomplete material: mature fruits, for instance, are often missing. Hence it is not surprising that on quite a number of species the opinions of taxonomists disagree. Accordingly on the one hand we may find in the various collections the most different species lumped together under the same name, while on the other hand one and the same species may appear under several names. A study of the type specimens therefore, was obviously very desirable. I am indebted to the “VAN EEDEN FONDS” for enabling me to visit the Herbarium in Paris, where I could clear up some misunderstandings with regard to the Suriname species. This study includes all the Suriname specimens preserved in the Herbaria of Utrecht, Leiden, Kew, Brussels, Geneva and Berlin, together with the material collected outside Suriname and available in the Utrecht and Paris collections, and the British Guiana plants of the Kew Herbarium. To get an impression of the genus as a whole, several species not occurring in Suriname have been studied, but a thorough investigation was made of the Suriname ones only. The results of this investigation will be given below.

Description: The following families are already revised and will be included in Flora Malesiana vol. 4, part 1 which is made ready for the press: Aceraceae, Actinidiaceae s.str., Alangiaceae, Ancistrocladaceae Aponogetonaceae, Burmanniaceae, Geratophyllaceae, Cochlospermaceae, Hydrocaryaceae, Juncaginaceae, Moringaceae, Myoporaceae, Nyssaceae, Philydraceae, Plumbaginaceae, Podostemonaceae Sarcospermaceae, Sphenocleaceae, Stackhkousiaceae, Styracaceae, Trigoniaceae, Zygophyllaceae.

Description: The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Jamaica Plain, Mass. The Gray Herbarium of Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. U.S. National Herbarium, Smithonian Institution, Washington, DC. New York Botanical Gardens, Bronx Park, Fordham Br.P.O., N.Y. Bot. Gardens, Ann. Arbor, Mich. University of California, Department of Botany, Berkeley, Cal. Field museum of natural History, Department of Botany, Chicago, Ill. Great Britain. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew-Surrey (except types) British Museum, Natural History, Bot. Department, Cromwell Road, London SW & Botany School, Cambridge.

Description: Bignoniaceae. Dr van Steenis is wording on a revision of the Malaysian Bignoniaceae for Flor. Mal.. Burmanniaceae. Dr F.P. Jonker, Herbarium, & Museum voor Systematische Botanie, Lange Nieuwstraat 106, Utrecht, Holland, is preparing a new revision of the Burmanniaceae for Fl. Mal.

Description: Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr, R.C.: Een bijdrage tot de kennis van de Melastomataceae van den Maleischen Archipel in het bijzonder van die van Nederlandsch-Indië. Thesis. Gouda 1943, VIII 31 pp. (in Dutch). Extract from the general and critical parts of the extensive study; no latin descriptions.

Description: Mr R.E. Holttum, Director of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, who was on leave in England from July to mid-November, reported that Mr C.X. Furtado has returned to Singapore and is working on the genus Calamus as part of his revision of the Palmae of the Malay Peninsula. Mr Holttum ’aims at getting a revised Flora of the Malay Peninsula written, of which he himself will be responsible for most of the Monocotyledones except Aroids and Palms. Mr M.R. Henderson is working on some families of Dicotyledones. This Flora must be fuller than Ridley’s, and with sufficient introductory matter and illustrations to make it intelligible to the ordinary resident who is prepared to take soms interest in local plants’. Mr Holttum will retire in 1950; he will then devote his time to revise Flora Malesiana, series II, Pteridophyta. Mr Holttum spent a fortnight in Holland, in October, and discussed the contributions to Flora Malesiana which can be prepared at Singapore on the basis of mutual cooperation. Dr A.J.G.H. Kostermans has been appointed Forest Botanist in the Forest Experiment Station, Buitenzorg, Java. He has resumed his studies on the Malaysian Lauraceae.

Description: Flora of Java. Dr C.A. Backer has been working towards the composition of a Dutch-written Flora of Java since about 1903, at first in Java, and onwards of 1931 in Holland. When the war started it was thought safer to mimeograph the MS. as far as it was finished, in order to save the writers’ labours against the chance of complete destruction by bombing or other causes. Prof. Dr H.J. Lam managed to get a number of subscribers and funds for a mimeograph edition. This constitures the ”Nooduitgave” (emergency edition) in which up till now 120 families have appeared in 7 folio volumes. The edition was limited to ca 25 copies. It is the intention to edit 2 volumes more, and then stop it. Circumstances necessitate the printed edition to be written in English to which the author has now consented, and which he will manage himself, Prof. Lam also succeeded in getting a number of temporary cooperators who have assisted Dr Backer in revising some families, viz. Dr A.D.J. Meeuse, A.G.L. Adelbert, and R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, whilst the specialists Dr J. Wasscher, Dr S.J. van Ooststroom and Miss Dr G.J.H. Amshoff and the late Prof. Dr B.H. Danser made contributions. She revisions are now nearing completion. Only very few families, mostly sympetalous, are not yet finished. The flora will include the Pteridophytes (more than 500 in Java) and through the consent of Mrs Smith also the Orchidaceae (ca 700!); the latter will be revised on the basis of the MS. revision left by the late Dr J.J. Smith. In the emergency edition practically all synonyms have been omitted for brevity’s sake. It is to be hoped that they will be re-inserted in the scientific edition now aimed at. Endless labours have been spent in identifying the species described under various names, and to a certain extent these synonyms have shaped the specific delimitations and argumentate the present conceptions. They can be omitted in a concise popular flora, but not in the work now prepared. It has taken a long way to reach the present state to account for the flora of Java, but we are sure that the work will certainly be the most valuable contribution towards the flora of Java ever made, as its author possesses an unsurpassed field knowledge combined with a very critical taxonomical point of view.

Description: Prom Dr Y. TSIANG, now residing at the Bot. Institute, Sun Yatsen Univ., 30 Fat-Ching Road, Canton, China, we received a set of three volumes published during World War II, all prepared by G. Masumune. They are the following: Enumeratio Phanerogamarum Bornearum. 739 pp. (1942) 1) An attempt to give a revised edition of MERRILL’s Enumeration of 1921. The Introduction and notes under the species are in Japanese characters. The number of genera recorded is 1310, the number of species 7201. Pamilies are arranged in a systematic sequence; an index to family and genus names concludes the volume. In some cases, new combinations are made, e.g. by reduction of Rigiolepis to Vaccinium (Eric.), further in Hanguana, Porterandia, & c. The work has been done rather uncritical: e.g. Styrax agrestis and St. serrulatus are both entered, though ithas been shown that the Bornean record of the latter is wrong and must be replaced by the former species. Peliosanthes albida is both mentioned under Liliacease and Haemodoraceae; Aletris foliolosa is mentioned in Aletris, but A. rigida is entered in Meta-aletris though the two are difficult to distinguish. Nomenclature is not up to date (see Chloranthus, Trema, & c.). A large number of important publications on the Flora of Borneo pubished posterior to 1921 are neglected. The author has apparently far underrated the difficulties in composing a cyclopedia. The latin-written text is full of errors.

Description: As was pointed out in the first instalment, the management of Flora Malesiana acknowledge collaborating and co-operating institutions; for this purpose a distinction was made between collaborators and co-operators. The former take an active part in the composition of the work (by revising certain families or large groups), the latter give assistance through the loan of specimens, information about collections, biblographical assistance etc.

Description: Most classifications of the genera of the Gramineae have been on the structure and arrangement of their spikelets, for these organs provide a far greater variety of readily distinguishing characters than do other parts of the grass plant. Nevertheless it has not always been possible to decide from morphological studies alone whether marked similarities in structure point to a close affinity or are merely examples of parallel development. The modern taxonomist, endeavouring to arrange the grass genera in as natural a sequence as possible in order to emphasise relationships and evolutionary trends, sooner or later meets with difficulties in this respect, for examples of parallelism are of common occurrence in this family. He is more fortunate, however, than his predecessors, in that his own intensive morphological studies, based on a wider range of specimens, may be supplemented by additional data gleaned from the ecological, anatomical and cytological researches of contemporary workers. Thus aided by the more complete information at his disposal, it has been possible for him to rearrange certain groups, particularly the Festuceae and Hordeeae, in which parallel development has occasionally led to unrelated genera such as Lolium, Agropyron and Nardus, being too closely associated. In the following account an attempt has been made to provide a more natural classification for about eighteen species frequently referred to the genus Lepturus R. Br. by reason of their similar spicate inflorescences.

Description: Urelytrum Henrardii Chippindall sp. nov.; ab U. agropyroidei Hack., cui e descriptione affine, culmis gracilibus, foliorum laminis non hirsutis, longe attenuatis, longioribus, racemis flavido-viridibus, spicularum sessilium gluma inferiore 5-nervi, arista breviore distinguendum — Fig. 1. Gramen perenne caespitosum, usque ad 92 cm altum. Culmi erecti, simplices, graciles, pauci-nodes, glabri, racemos versus asperuli. Folia plerumque basalia; vaginae internodiis longiores, sublaxae, striatae, apicem versus carinatae, basales glabrae laevesque, superiores pilis patulis laxe pilosae, ore villoso-barbatae; ligulae scariosae, rotundato-obtusae, 0.8—1.25 mm longae; laminae lineares, apice tenuiter setaceae, planae vel leviter conduplicatae, usque ad 38 cm longae, 3—3.8 mm latae, marginibus scabridis, costis asperulis, pone ligulam pilis longis exceptis glabrae. Racemi ad culmi apicem solitarii, stricti, fragiles, subcylindrici, fere glabri, flavidi vel pallide flavido-virides, saltem 16 cm longi; articuli rhacheos compressi, infimo usque ad 2 cm longo, scaberuli, margine uno superne rigide ciliati, appendice membranacea inaequaliter dentata ciliolata; pedicelli articulis similes, sed appendice minore. Spiculae sessiles biflorae, anguste lanceolato-oblongae, 7.5—8.2 mm longae (callo excluso); callus crassus, rotundato-obtusus, basi barbatus. Glumae subaequales, minute punctatae; inferior spiculam aequans, coriacea, marginibus hyalinis, explanata lanceolata, subconvexa, subacuta, 5-nervis, dorso apicem versus parce spinuloso-ciliata, superne bicarnata, carinis angustissime alatis, alis spinuloso-ciliatis; superior inferiore paulo brevior, firme membranacea, marginibus hyalinis apice minute ciliolata, lanceolata, acuta, 3-nervis, superne carinata, carina anguste alata, ala spinuloso-ciliata. Anthoecium inferum ♂: lemma tenuiter hyalinum, lanceolato-ovatum, 6—6.5 mm longum, 2-nerve, minute bidentatum, marginibus apicem versus minute ciliolatum; palea lemmati similis sed angustior et paulo longior; antherae 3 mm longae; lodiculae glabrae. Anthoecium superum ♀: lemma lemmati anthoecii inferi simile sed 3-nerve, apice latius; palea angustior. Spiculae pedicellatae illis sessilibus absimiles, neutrae, ad glumas lemmaque redactae, sine arista 2—2.75 mm longae. Glumae coriaceae, marginibus hyalinis superne ciliolatae, minute punctatae; inferior spiculae aequilonga, lanceolata, 5-nervis, ad carinam superne angustissime alata, ala spinulosociliata, in aristam scabridam 9—12.5 mm longam excurrente; superior inferiore paulo longior, apice integra, obtusa, superne carinata, carina anguste alata, ala spinuloso-ciliata, obscure 5-nervis. Lemma tenuiter hyalinum, parvum.

Description: According to general opinion the spikelets of Oryza consist, reckoned from their base upwards, of 2 sterile glumes, called hereafter I and II, one fertile glume (valvula inferior; lemma), called hereafter III, and the palea valvula superior) to this glume, called hereafter p3. The spikelets are placed singly on the very short ultimate branchlets, called hereafter pedicels, of a more or less strongly ramose panicle; the tips of the pedicels are broadened into a shallow infra-spicular cup, either distinctly 2-lobed or not; from the bottom of the cup arises a minute knob, on which the very distinct basal callus of the spikelet is jointed. When ripe, the spikelets of the wild species fall off as a whole, disarticulating at the joint (in dried specimens often long before maturity; hence in herbarium-specimens they are frequently lacking). In many cultivated forms they remain firmly attached to their pedicels, a property of very high economic value. The spikelets are strongly laterally compressed. I and II are either 1-nerved or nerveless; as a rule they are many times shorter than the spikelet, sometimes even very minute. Only in O. Ridleyi they are comparatively well-developed, reaching about half the length of the spikelet, but very narrow. III is very rigid, usually conspicuously granulate, boatshaped, keeled, either awned or not, 5-nerved, with a strong midrib; it has the ultimate lateral nerves along the margins. P3 is likewise boatshaped, shortly cuspidate or not, with a narrow, rather rounded, less often faintly keeled back, 3-nerved; it is about as long as III, awn disregarded, and has the same rigid granulate structure, excepted the narrowly incurved thinly membranaceous smooth marginal parts (hidden by III). It might be taken for a fertile glume, but this view is inadmissible because of the averted position of the lodicules. It has a rather thin mid-nerve and strong lateral nerves, separating the rigid central part from the membranaceous borders. The well-developed lodicules are glabrous; the six stamens are free; there are 2 free shortish styles with large plumose white or violet stigmas which, during anthesis, stick out from the sides of the spikelet in or below its middle. The ripe fruit is oblong or lanceolate, usually angular; it is free from glume and palea but remains firmly incarcerated between them.

Description: Dactyloctenium Henrardianum Bor spec. nov. quae ab omnibus aliis speciebus hujus generis inflorescentia racemosa haud digitata satis recedit. An annual grass. Culms slender, 10—30 cm tall, erect, smooth, glabrous, striate in robust specimens, terete, long-exserted from the uppermost leaf-sheath. Leaf-sheaths strongly keeled, loose, slipping from the culm, much shorter than the internode and leaf-blade, markedly striate, smooth and glabrous except for some bristles from bulbous bases sparsely arranged near the margins in the upper fourth; ligule a lacerate membrane not more than 2 mm long. Leaf-blades up to 10 cm long by 5 mm wide at the base, gradually narrowed into a fine point from the rounded base, very scabrid on the margins which also bear long bulbous-based bristles in the lower third; upper surface smooth; lower surface often with bulbous-based bristles; midrib strongly marked with 2—3 prominent parallel veins on either side.

Description: The names Blumea intermedia Koster (syn. Bl. acutata DC. var. ß) and Blumea floresiana (Schultz-Bip.) Boerl. must be kept upright. Blumea humifusa (Miq.) Clarke var. monochasialis Koster has to be changed into Blumea tenella DC. var. monochasialis (Koster) Koster, for Blumea humifusa (Miq.) Clarke is a synonym of Blumea tenella DC. Blumea lacera (Burm.) DC. var. burmanni DC. is not a clearly distinguishable variety. Blumea runcinata DC. is a synonym of Blumea lacera (Burm.) DC. Blumea fasciculata DC. is a synonym of Blumea sessiliflora Decaisne, which is not a synonym of the closely related Blumea fistulosa (Roxb.) Kurz (syn. Bl. glomerata DC. and Bl. leptoclada DC.). Blumea chinensis (L.) DC. as well as Blumea semivestita DC. are a mixture of Blumea riparia (Bl.) DC. and Blumea bullata Koster.

Description: The name Arundo Bambos L. Sp. Pl. 81, 1753, is interpreted as properly belonging to the common thorny bamboo of India; therefore this species should be called Bambusa Bambos (L.) Voss. Arundo Bambos L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 120, 1762, insofar as it is represented by Linnaeus’ specimen labeled “1. Bambos” and by his description of this specimen, is based on a misidentification of a Chinese species: Bambusa flexuosa Munro (1868). Bambos arundinacea Retz. Obs. Bot. 5:24, 1789, is shown to have been based on the plant known today as Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex Wendl. (Coll. Pl. 2:26, pl. 47, 1810), and not on the common thorny bamboo of India, properly called Bambusa Bambos (L.) Voss. Bambusa arundinacea Willd. Sp. Pl. 2:245, 1799, is based on Bambos arundinacea Retz., but Willdenow is shown to have confused, in his text, as in his mind, at least two species under this name: 1. The plant which has since come to be known as Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. (of which he had a specimen labeled “B. arundinacea 1.”) and 2. The common thorny bamboo of India (properly called Bambusa Bambos [L.] Voss) of which he had no specimen. Traditional usage for 150 years has overlooked the facts in this case, and has erroneously applied Bambusa arundinacea Willd., and Bambusa arundinacea Retz. (as Bambos) to the common thorny bamboo of India. As a result of the long-continued misapplication of the name Bambos arundinacea Retz. and its variants, it will be exceedingly difficult to reïnvest the name with its original meaning. It may come to pass that consensus of leadership will be to avoid the use of the name Bambos arundinacea Retz and its variants altogether, at least for some time, because of the risk of being misunderstood, and to continue the use of the name Bambusa vulgaris Schrad., which is generally accepted in its proper sense. Those who use Bambusa arundinacea Retz. (as Bambos) or any of the other variants of the name, may be able to avoid being misunderstood by citing Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. as a synonym. Bambusa Schreb. Gen. Pl. 1:236, 1789, and Bambos Retz. Obs. Bot. 5:24, 1789, are synonymous, and are believed to have been based on the same species, namely the plant commonly known today as Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. Strict adherence to Recommendations IV and V of the fifth edition of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature, and probably the claims of priority, would indicate the replacement of Bambusa Schreb. by Bambos Retz. The continuation of the use of the generic name Bambusa Schreb., instead of Bambos Retz., has the sanction of tradition, and of contemporary preference; but in order to be fully justified and stabilized, this usage should be regularized and legalized by action of the International Botanical Congress, placing Bambusa Schreb. on the list of Nomina Conservanda. The genus Leleba Rumph. ex Nakai, Jour. Jap. Bot. 9: 9 et seq. 1933, is added to the recognized synonymy of Bambusa Schreb.

Description: On the 13th of October 1940 I found in the vicinity of a wool- and skinwork in Tilburg (The Netherlands, prov. N. Brabant) a sterile grasstuft, striking me by its peculiar habit. I transplanted it into my garden in Dordrecht and there it was flowering for the first time in June 1941, and in July it was collected to be dried. On the 4th of July 1941 I gathered one more fructifying specimen at the same locality in Tilburg. Doubtless the plant was a Deschampsia and my provisory identification was D. media R. et Sch.. Sending the material with this name to Dr P. Jansen in Amsterdam I got his reply: ”Certainly not D. media. It is a species, unknown to me or, more probably, a variety of D. flexuosa“. This conclusion, however, seemed unacceptable to me. The habit of the sterile as well as the fertile plant differs strongly from that of D. flexuosa. The tuft is denser and harder, with thicker and shorter leaves. The panicle is longer, wider and more diffuse, the branchlets less flexuous, the culms are relatively short, as long as the panicle or at most 1½—2 times the length of the panicle (in D. flexuosa 4—5 times). The characteristics of the flower are decisive. The lower glume is 5 mm long, the upper one 6 mm, both of them overtop the lemma and palea of the enclosed flower (in D. flexuosa the glumes are little different in length and equaling or overtopped by the flowers). The stipe of the upper flower, remaining attached to the lower one, when the spikelet falls asunder, is densily pencilshapedly hirsute and 1.5 mm long (in D. flexuosa 0.6—0.8 mm). The upper flower bears a similar stipe of a fully rudimental third flower, in other words: the rachilla is produced behind the upper palea as a hairy bristle. These properties sooner recall D. setacea than D. flexuosa, but the anthers are very small, 0.3—0.5 mm long, on much longer filaments (D. setacea has anthers, 1.5 mm long, filaments 0.5 mm, D. flexuosa: anthers 1.8 mm, filaments very short). All this: the habit, the pale green spikelets without any touch of purple, brown or blue, and the small anthers on long filaments justifies a specific differentiation of the Tilburgian wooladventive. I propose to name it, in honour of Dr J. Th. Henrard, whom I owe so much in the field of adventives in general and of Gramineae in particular: Deschampsia Henrardii nov. spec.

Description: The island of Enggano is the most southern of a series of islands situated parallel to the Western coast of Sumatra. In 1936 the island was visited by Dr. W. J. LüTJEHARMS, who stayed there from the end of May to the beginning of July collecting materials for the Herbaria at Buitenzorg and Leiden. During this excursion he also collected some zoocecidia, which were sent to me for classification by the Director of the Rijksherbarium, Leiden. The collection consists of 16 galls on various plants; many of them were already known as occurring in other parts of the Malay Archipelago; others are new, these are marked with an asterisk. A collection of 16 galls is actually to small to give insight into the wealth of galls of this tropical island; so far, however, nothing was known about the galls of the island, and since it is unlikely that the place will before long again be examined as to its galls, I deemed it worthwile to describe this small collection.

Description: Hallier ²) subdivided the Convolvulaceae into two groups, viz. the Psiloconiae, with smooth pollen grains, and the Echinoconiae with spinose ones. The genera of the Psiloconiae occurring in Malaysia have been dealt with in parts I and II of the present paper, with exception of the genus Erycibe, which shall be treated in a special monograph. The group of Echinoconiae contains two tribes, viz. 1. Ipomoeeae and 2. Argyreieae, both represented in Malaysia. The genus Ipomoea belongs to the Ipomoeeae.

Description: See for the confusion reigning about tho species of this genus Journal of the Arnold Arboretum VIII (1927), 234 seq. The only species cultivated in Java (not so much for its fruit as for its medicinal properties) is M. australis Poir. Formerly it went by the name of M. alba L. from which it differs i.a. by its shining dark-red or almost black fruits.

Description: It was shown that the oldest Dutch lichen herbarium known was that of H. Boerhaave dating as far back as the end of the 17th or the beginning of the 18th century. After that there was a long spell of inactivity, until from about 1835 onward the florists again started making herbaria. From the end of the nineteenth century the interest flagged again, and collecting was done by very few people. The first publications which are known to deal with Dutch lichens mentioning the locality do not date back farther than the 17th century, the work by C. Pilleterius (1610) being the oldest one. Those earliest publications comprised but a very small number of lichens, presumably because of few of them the officinal application (the main impetus of getting acquainted with plants) was known yet. In the seventeenth century, the lichens were designated by phrase-names which, with some certainty, may be identified with the Linnean names, but nevertheless remain somewhat obscure. Gradually, in the 18th century, the interest in lichens shifted from the medicinal to the botanical side. The number of lichens known steadily increased, and the binomial nomenclature was more generally applied. The habit of uncritically copying certain successful foreign floras was abandoned, and it grew customary among the florists to publish cheek-lists of own finds, though specific, descriptions were often borrowed from foreign authors. In some cases, however, it still appears uncertain which species were meant, as no material was left. The lichenology in Holland showed its greatest development in the 19th century. Phis was undoubtedly mainly due to the activity of the newly founded Botanical Society (1845), and particularly by the efforts of its undefatigable president R. B .van den Bosch. Except for the experimental investigation by M. Treub (1873), however, the interest in lichens never surpassed the stage of writing enumerations of the local flora. None of the florists felt called upon to study any special group of lichens. In fact, there were no lichenologists proper, and lichenology in Holland was sterile. Whereas in all other countries of Europe the description of new lichen genera and species was in full progress, and other branches connected with lichenology such as anatomy, morphology, ecology, Physiology, and chemistry were being studied, there was an almost complete standstill in the Netherlands which hardly could be made up for by a single outstanding systematical (E. T. Nannenga, 1939) or physiological Paper (A. Quispel, 1943). Of late, however, a revived interest and a determined desire on the part of some sociologists getting more familiar with lichens is apt to brighten up this somewhat gloomy picture.

Description: Whilst visiting the Leeward Group, little time could be spared to the collecting of mammals; from Odocoileus and Sylvilagus however, a rather representative series could be obtained. Regarding this, I must offer my grateful thanks and appreciation to the people who so ably and kindly assisted in securing the specimens. I am especially obliged to Mr. van der Linde Schotborgh for presenting me with a living Curaçoan deer and to Mr. de Wit for organizing our three shooting-parties, ending with the aquisition of the type of Odocoileus gymnotis curassavicus. Señorita Fanny Maneyro made me a present of a two days old fawn, on the occasion of a short visit to her uncles estate on the Peninsula de Araya. Little “Chacopato” was bottle-fed in my room in Porlamar, with the devoted assistance of Maximiliana, the hotel-owners step-daughter. This apartment he soon shared with an adult deer from Margarita, which however died a few months later. During this time the hotel-owner, Clémente Sibú, who was very fond of animals, overlooked many annoying things, which another would never have let pass. After my departure to Curaçao, “Chacopato” stayed in “Hotel Central”, where he was later joined by his two prospective wives “Guanta” and “Carúpana”, until our departure for the Netherlands. After being kindly entertained on board of the „Van Rensselaer”, they started family-life in the grounds of my parents country-house near The Hague.

Description: The region which forms the field of these studies lies between Trinidad and the Goajira-peninsula, off the northcoast of South America, comprising of seventeen islands or island-groups with a total area of about 2000 square kilometers. It is a part of the Venezuelan Republic, excepting Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire, which is Netherlands territory. The total number of inhabitants can be estimated at 164000, chiefly confined to Margarita (70000), Curaçao (61000), Aruba (24000), Bonaire (5500) and Coche (3000). This region was visited in 1936 and 1937 with the main object of studying the land and freshwaterfauna, excluding birds and the greater part of the insects. For comparison some parts of the adjacent continent were also visited.

Description: This annotated list of the mammals, lizards and mollusks of the Leeward Group, is based on author’s collection and therefore includes additional mainland-records of the island-species. As a rule a short commentary is given only as a guide to the adopted nomenclature and classification, in case of controversial data which are not yet settled, if important for our knowledge of regional distribution, mentioning vernacular names. Regarding the mammals, all known material-records are included.

Description: Wanneer iemand een periode van zijn leven afgesloten ziet, tracht hij voor zichzelf een balans op te maken van de vervlogen jaren. Wanneer hij in die tijd een openbare functie heeft bekleed, zullen ook anderen dat doen. Voor die anderen is dat een moeilijke opgave, want is het schrijven van een necrologie al een moeilijke zaak, het schrijven over een nog levend man van karakter, die het zeker niet zal waarderen in zijn gezicht geprezen te worden, is nog oneindig moeilijker. Toch maak ik dankbaar van de gelegenheid gebruik om de figuur van den scheidenden professor IHLE tenminste voor één maal voor het voetlicht te halen, dat hij altijd zo graag heeft willen ontlopen. Mijn eerste herinnering dateert van begin October 1925, toen de nieuwbenoemde professor, waar wij, jonge studenten, met zoveel spanning naar hadden uitgezien, plotseling op het tweedejaarspracticum verscheen, daar een rondgang maakte en ons vervolgens getweeën in zijn kamer ontbood voor een eerste kennismaking. Daarna kwam, op 26 October de oratie, het officiële begin van de voornaamste periode in zijn loopbaan.

Description: Miquel, F.A.W., Illustrations de la flore de l’archipel Indien. 3 parts. 1870-1871. JACKSON (Guide 1881, p. 385) mentions this work, ”Flore de l’Archipel Indien”, as having been published 1870-’71. REHDER (Bradl. Bibl. 1, 1 (1909) 466) says that it contains X + 114 pp. 37 pl., and that it was published in 1871. He adds that another edition was published in 1874 containing 174 pp. Unbound copies in the original covers at the Rijksherbarium, Leyden, prove that these references are either incomplete or wrong.

Description: Bulletin Flora Malesiana will be a medium of communication between all co-editors and cooperators of Flora Halesiana, who are invited to sent notes, queries and contributions in concise form. It is for private circulation only. All matters dealing with difficulties regarding material, inadequacy of information, literature, and suggestions are welcomed to be discussed.

Description: The MS Flora of the Bismarck Archipelago, by Father G. Peekel has, fortunately, escaped being destroyed during World War II. It is a large work in which over 1000 species are described each one accompanied by an accurate line drawing. Father Peekel shared emprisonment with the Japanese at Rabaul during the war. He is now back on his post and has taken the MS flora with him. A microfilm of it was made and entrusted to the Missions Board at Sydney. A mimeographed tentative program for the preparation of a Flora of China prepared by doctors E.H. Walker and H.H. Bartlett was received August 1947. (10 typed pp.) Its desirability needs no stress here. To a certain extent Malaysia and China represent the only two wide spaces of the globe of which no serviceable flora exists. ”A Flora of China would be an asset of primary importance in China’s scientific growth. The authors state that there are enough trained Chinese botanists to prepare such a flora with the possible collaboration of certain non-Chinese botanists, but under present working conditions the Chinese have no access in China to the necessary collections and literature. If their efforts could be coordinated, and if they were enabled to visit the United States to work at the places most appropriate for their specialties, a manuscript could be prepared. Through inter-institutional loans the American-held Chinese material ought to be assembled by families, and preparation of large parts of the flora could proceed simultaneous. The whole project could be brought to a sufficiently definite conclusion within five to ten years for a first edition. An immediate start ought to be made with materials now in hand.”

Description: At a dinner given by Mrs and Br Verdoorn for the co-editors of Chronica Botanica during the AAAS-meetings at Boston, Mass., Dec. 29thm 1946, Dr. E. D. Merrill was awarded the honorary membership of the Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, Java, for 1946, on the occasion of the 129th anniversary of these Gardens. On behalf of the director, Prof. Dr L.G.M. Baas Becking, Br van Steenis, in a speech, gave a sketch of the prominent contributions towards the Malaysian flora, which Dr Merrill accomplished in the course of the past 45 years. He is now the greatest living authoritynon the SE Asiatic flora. At present he is finishing a revised bibliography on the Pacific Floras, in cooperation with Br Walker, and the past few years he spent in unearthing the papers of Rafinesque and in identifying the scores of new genera described and typified by that erratic biologist. The huge work is now finished; Dr Merrill ”felt nearly licked by Rafinesque” as he told us. Dr Merrill who is still in the prime of his life, and who will in the future not be burdened by extensive administrative duties, will, we hope, largely devote his energy to the study of the SE Asiatic flora in general, and to that of Malaysia, which is his speciality, in particular. Prof. Lam wrote a tribute to Dr Merrill (Natuurwet. Tijdschr. Ned. Ind. 102 (1946)153); the journal, its name now being changed into ”Chronica Naturae” is edited by the Roy. Science Society of the Netherlands Indies of which Dr Merrill is a corresponding member, number 4 of vol. 27 (1946) of the Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, and Chronica Botanica vol. 10, nos. 3/4 (1946) were dedicated to Dr Merrill on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Ihe first Mary Soper Pope medal of the Cranbrook Institute of science, Michigan, had been awarded, Dec. 12, 1946 to Dr Fr. Verdoorn, editor of Chronica Botanica, Waltham, Mass., our greatest living authority on Malaysian hepatics.

Description: Baas Becking, L.G.M.: Notes on jungle trees I (Chron. Nat. 104, 1948, 271-277). Calculation of the age of the stand in the mountain forest reserve Tjibodas on Mt Gedeh, W. Java, by means of new measurements on the trees numbered by S.H. Koorders in 1890. By means of the losses (0.77% annually) the average life span of a tree is estimated at ca 130 years. Backer, C.A. c.s.: Beknopte Flora van Java (nooduitgave) afl. VII. Fam. XCLVIII-CLXXII. Rijksherbarium, Leiden. Sept. 1948. This instalment of the mimeographed emergency edition (in Dutch) contains the treatments of Meliaceae, Sapindaceae, Aceraceae, Sabiaceae, Staphyleaceae, Anacardiaceae, Connaraceae, Juglandaceae, Cornaceae, Alangiaceae, Nyssaceae, Araliaceae, Umbelliferae, Clethraceae, Ericaceae, Vacciniaceae, Epacridaceae, Ebenaceae, Sapotaceae, Myrsinaceae, Styracaceae, Loganiaceae, Oleaceae, Apocynaceae. Dr Backer was assisted by Miss Amshoff, Messrs Adelbert, Bakhuizen v.d. Brink, Lam & v. Ooststroom.

Description: Under this heading will be found information on the dates of publication of Malaysian botanical works or others of importance to Malaysian phytotaxonomy. Several of these are in the ”Journal of the Society for Bibliography of Natural History” an expensive serial of which 6 parts have appeared between 1936 and 1938.

Description: A few years ago Prof. Dr W. Martin, at the time director of the Gallery of prints and drawings at Leyden, drew my attention to an oilpainting at Prof. J. N. Bakhuizen van den Brink’s, 40 Rapenburg, Leyden. This painting (size 95 X 68 cm), which is owned by the Leyden University Fund, shows a peculiar group of flowering exotic plants, to which a few mushrooms, a snake, a lizard and some butterflies are added, and on the right side in the back-ground a view on a river or a lake. In the lower right hand corner the painting is signed Lau. Vinn. Prof. Martin concluded from this that it was one of the Haarlem painters Van der Vinne who made it. The most plausible inference seemed to look upon the senior Laurens van der Vinne (1658—1729), a well-known Dutch painter of flowers, as the maker. However, a closer investigation learnt that this was not correct. When Prof. Martin showed me the picture, I got the impression that I had seen a few of the drawings of the individual plants before. Looking through the plate collections of the “Rijksherbarium” it appeared that this impression was right. These collections, namely, contain water-colours of the 4 species of Proteaceae figured in the painting and moreover a water-colour of the specimen of Sprekelia formosissima. All these once belonged to the Leyden professor Adriaan van Royen. The water-colour of Sprekelia formosissima is signed “Laurens van der Vinne Pinxcit 1736”. It is quite probable that this beautiful drawing, together with those of the Proteaceae, were used by Van der Vinne in composing his picture. Besides, it became evident that it was not the senior but the junior Van der Vinne who must be considered the painter, as the former died already in 1729 and the painting must have been made in 1736 or later.

Description: Fate has knocked at your door. It has reminded you that, as to the years of your life, you are no longer a young man, that your age will be sixty five on the day this little volume will be presented to you. Time and fate are inexorable powers. Sometimes the question has occurred to me, whether we have any right to speak of a “Jubilee”, whether one’s retirement from office or the attainment of high age is something to be gratulated upon, since these events are usually not exactly welcome to the person involved. Yet, I think there cannot be any doubt as to this. For, can there be ever more reason for deep satisfaction and gratitude than when a man may without self-reproach, look back upon an honest and successful life?

Description: As my friend Dr J. Th. Henrard, when young, paid much attention to the adventitious species of Fumaria, I will give here an enumeration of the species found in our country. This genus has been somewhat neglected with us, mainly owing to the fact that the descriptions in our flora’s are not exact, so that the determination was not always easy; the less so as the species are variable in several characters. As I have not much space at my disposal, I will refrain from giving detailed descriptions, but the essential characters I will lay down into the key, so that a correct determination is possible. Minute descriptions are to be found in the splendid works of Mr H. W. Pugsley, which have been a great help to me.

Description: Perennis, innovationibus extravaginalibus. Caulis usque ad 80 cm altus, erectus vel nodo infimo radicans et geniculato-adscendens, usque ad apicem paniculae pilosus, pilis albis, usque ad 3 mm longis, e tuberculis emergentibus. Vaginae arcte appressae, internodiis breviores, hispidae, pilis e tuberculis emergentibus, albis, usque ad 4 mm longis, marginibus oris vaginarum stellato-patentibus. Ligula verticilla pilorum consistens. Folia caulina subtus ad basin pilis e tuberculis emergentibus munita, ceterum glabra ut supra; folia infima 2—3 dm longa, complicata vel plana et usque ad 4 mm lata, nervis tenuioribus ac crassioribus alternantibus, folia innovationum omnia angusta, complicata et apicem versus convoluta. Panicula erecta, pyramidalis, per anthesin ac postea patens, usque ad 20 cm longa vel paulo longior; rhachis pilis longis albis patentibus barbatis. Semiverticilla infima e ramis usque ad 8, 6—8 cm longis, composita. Apicem versus numerus et longitudo ramorum sensim decrescunt; hi rami glabri; initium ramificationis secundariae supra partem tertiam infimam; rami secundarii spiculis breviter pedicellatis sparse praediti. Spiculae plumbeo-griseae, lineares, 5—10-florae, quae 7 flores gerunt, 6 mm longae et ½—¾ mm latae. Glumae tenuiter membranaceae; gluma inferior 1 mm longa, acuta; gluma superior 1½ mm longa, obtusiuscula; ambae nervis inconspicius et mox deciduae. Rhachilla glabra, internodiis sublongis, floribus plus minusve remotis. Lemma 1½ mm longa a latere visa linearis, acuta, debilis, margine angusto membranaceo; nervis lateralibus lumine reflecto inconspicuis. Palea elliptica, lemma aequilonga. I found this new species among a series of unicae, bought from K. Dinter and collected by him in 1912 in South-West-Africa (No. 2572, Grassteppe at Okahandja); type specimen in Herb. Lugd.-Bat.

Description: A taxonomic study of the 6 species of Stipa that inhabit desert regions of the Puna de Atacama S. Bomani Haum., S. venusta Phil., S. obtusa [Nees et Mey.] Hitchc., S. rigidiseta [Pilg.] Hitchc., S. saltensis O. Kuntze, and the new species S. Henrardiana) indicates that they constitute a natural group which I designate Obtusae, using as type the species S. obtusa which is the one with priority. The group is characterised by setose leaves, with ligules 3 to 10 mm long, by glumes that are scarious, smooth, depressed and usually unequal, by the fusiform anthoecium with the palea as long as the lemma and by glabrous anthers. These characters reveal a close relationship with Orthachne Nees and Oryzopsis Michx. More detailed studies are necessary to decide the generic relationships. Some of the species studied ( S. Bomani and S. saltensis) contain cyanoglucosides in their vegetative organs and consequently are feared by the inhabitants of the Puna as being toxic to livestock.

Description: 1. (with G. H. H. ZANDVOORT) — Een voor Nederland nieuwe plant, Kentrophyllum lanatum DC. — De Levende Natuur XV, p. 376—380, 4 fig.

Description: The privilege of being able to examine numerous sheets of Lonicera in the U.S. Nat. Herbarium Washington, Jan. 1947, some in the Kew Herbarium, Nov. 1946, and some in the Leyden Herbarium, Oct. 1946, enabled me to make some further observations which clarify the status and distribution of the Malaysian species, which I preliminarily treated in the Journ. Arnold Arbor. 27 (1946) 442—452, a little further. 1. Lonicera repens Zipp. ex Miq., Fl. Ind. Bat. 2: 128. 1856; cf. J. Arn. Arb. 27 (1946) 451, was referred by Miquel to L. chinensis, and belongs, according to Ind. Kew and Dr Rehder’s paper to L. japonica Thunb. In the Leyden Herbarium there are 3 authentic sheets; of one the label reads “New Guinea”, of an. other “? Java” and of the third “? Java. ? New Guinea”. All belong doubtless to L. japonica Thunb. and in my opinion this is a clear case of mislabelled specimens which came from Java, probably from specimens cultivated in the Botanic Gardens at Buitenzorg.

Description: A few localities in which collecting has been done in 1930 (cf. Zool. Jb. Syst. 64, 1933) are included without special numbering. A capital-letter after the station-number indicates a different habitat or a comparable habitat in another locality; an ordinary-letter indicates that the same habitat has already been studied before.

Description: Much has been said of the geographical relations and the origin of the West Indian fauna, especially as to that of its vertebrates and mollusks. Mostly the islands off the Venezuelan coast, for the greater part within sight of the South American continent, remained out of question, although obvious differences between the fauna of Curaçao and that of the adjacent mainland were rather quickly noticed and its affinity towards the fauna of the Greater Antilles even emphasized (Bland, 1861; Baker, 1924). Without going into the West Indian fauna as a whole, or the current theories that try to explain its distribution, an attempt is being made to find out what palaeogeographical indication is given by the fauna of the Leeward Group, by careful examination of the distribution of its mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and mollusks, — these being the only groups, perhaps with exception of the birds, which are sufficiently well known to serve as a base for zoogeographical considerations. Biocoenoses were not studied, only the distribution of species and subspecies was taken into account. The biotopes usually being very small and scattered by many isolating factors formed by accidental circumstances, the fauna being very poor and the biology of the species practically unknown, it will be clear that we have to be unpretentious in our aim and very careful in our conclusions.

Description: This survey of the scorpions of the Leeward Group is based on author’s collection and therefore includes some mainlandrecords from northern Venezuela and northeastern Colombia. Material from Curaçao, deposited in the “Zoölogisch Museum, Amsterdam” (A) and the “Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden” (L) has been included, and the few island-records which were found in literature mentioned. Important new localities are indicated by an exclamation-mark. A description of the localities may be found in the 1st and the 4th paper of this series.

Description: Toen Cirillo Generelli in 1749 in de academic van Cremona een commentaar op de theorie van Lazzaro Moro (1687—1740) leverde, gaf hij te kennen, dat de geschiedenis der aarde zonder geweld, zonder verdichtsels, zonder veronderstellingen en zonder wonderen („senza violenze, senza finzioni, senza supposti, senza miracoli”), maar uitsluitend met behulp der tegenwoordige gebeurtenissen op aarde verklaard kan worden (Lyell, 1853, p. 37). Hij zal toen wel niet vermoed hebben, dat het nog tachtig jaren zou duren, voordat deze nieuwe zienswijze het geologische denken zou gaan beheerschen. Want eerst kwam Cuvier de klok terugzetten door in 1812 in het „Discours preliminaire” zijner „Recherches sur les ossements fossiles” (later gepubliceerd onder den naam „Discours sur les revolutions du globe”) de theorie te verkondigen, die later de catastrophen-theorie genoemd is, waarin de ontwikkeling van het leven op aarde door catastrophes werd afgesneden, en telkens een nieuwe schepping weer leven op aarde bracht. Zijn volgeling Alcide d'Orbigny telde in 1849 zelfs 27 vernietigingen der biosfeer, gevolgd door 27 scheppingen. Het was Charles Lyell (1797—1875) die aan Cuvier's theorie den nekslag toebracht door het uitgeven van zijn „Principles of Geology”, waarvan het eerste deel in 1830 verscheen en waarmede de denkwijze der catastrophen-theorie plaats begon te maken voor een andere, die reeds door Lazzaro Moro en Cirillo Generelli verkondigd was, maar in het vergeetboek geraakt was. Lyell’s opvatting blijkt duidelijk uit den aanvankelijk bedoelden ondertitel: „Being an Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth’s Surface by Reference to Causes now in Operation”. In aantrekkelijken vorm gegoten en consequent doorgevoerd in zijn „Principles”, is deze denkwijze de geologische gedachtenwereld gaan beïnvloeden, en daarmede werd de moderne geologic ingeluid. Al spoedig werd in Engeland de naam van „uniformitarianisme” hieraan gegeven, later in Duitschland door „actualisme” vervangen.

Description: Een Zilvermeeuw voert zijn jongen op de volgende wijze: hij loopt in eigenaardig gebukte houding, een „klaaglijk” klinkende, langgerekte „au”-roep uitende, op de jongen toe, braakt grote brokken halfverteerd voedsel uit, neemt hiervan een klein stukje tussen de snavelpunten en houdt dat een jong voor. Het kuiken pikt naar de snavelpunt, aanvankelijk nog met betrekkelijk slecht gerichte bewegingen en herhaalt dit totdat het een stukje voedsel in de snavel krijgt, dat het dan doorslikt. Soms ook pikt het kuiken zelf van het op de grond liggende braaksel. Het is HEINROTH, die zovele vogelsoorten en ook Zilvermeeuwen uit het ei opgekweekt heeft, opgevallen dat de kuikens al dadelijk na het uitkomen de neiging tonen, „nach unten zu picken, wenn man ihnen mit der Greifzange Futter darreicht, vor allem gerne nach roten Gegenständen...” Hij geeft dan een interpretatie van de natuurlijke situatie waarbij deze bewegingswijze naar zijn mening wel zal passen, door te vervolgen: „... also nach Fleisch. Sie rechnen eben damit, dass die ankommenden Eltern ihnen die Nahrung nicht vorhalten, sondern vorlegen, indem sie sie ihnen vorwürgen.” (HEINROTH 1928, Dl. 3. p. 47).

Description: Among the collections made by H. E. ROMBOUTS from 1935— 1938 on the expeditions to the Suriname-Brazil frontier there are a number of Euphorbiaceae which are either new, or rare. As I was engaged in other work I could not begin the study of these specimens before August of this year. Because of the international troubles I have not been able to secure type-specimens from foreign herbaria, so that in some cases my interpretation of earlier described species may be wrong, though most of the problems could be solved satisfactory with the aid of the material preserved at Leiden and Utrecht. Most of these specimens were collected by ROMBOUTS on the Great Savanna near the sources of the Sipaliwini River, which forms part of the boundary between Brazil and Suriname. Former studies on ROMBOUTS’ collections had shown already that this region is comparatively rich in rare or new species. It would be of the utmost importance if a botanist could visit this region to collect on a large scale and to make a study of the vegetation. Without doubt the results would justify the comparatively low expenses needed for such an expedition.

Description: Flora Malesiana Bulletin No. 1 was issued in 150 copies, 112 of which were distributed to cooperating institutes, libraries, botanists and besides, to interested persons. A cardboard holder will be forwarded to libraries through the care of Dr Fr. Verdoorn, Waltham, Mass., U.S.A. In this number two new headings are found viz the first of a series of contributions regarding the dates of publication of certain botanical works of major interest to Malaysian botany, and a first contribution towards an annotated list of little-known publications which appeared during World War II.

Description: After some preliminary plans in 1932, and in 1936, a more definite scheme for a modern Flora of Malaysia was composed in 1939, forming part of the reorganization of the Botanic Gardens, Buitenzorg, Java. This was approved of by the Netherlands Indian Government, and the National Council at Batavia. Necessary preparations for this ambitious scheme had started as early as 1930, consisting of the preparation of card indices, and directing the aim of expeditions in the years 1930 – 1940 to neglected regions in order to fill up gaps in our botanical knowledge and collections.

Description: The first instalment of ”Flora Malesiana” was published in the last days of December 1948. The issue was 2500 copies, of which 1500 have been distributed. It contains a notice on 4 unnumbered pages (the first the provisional title page) which explains the scheme for the whole of the Flora while a brief outline is given of the contents of volumes 1-4 of the first series.

Description: Mr O.H. Selling, Vice-curator of Collections, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum, Palaeobotaniska Avdelningen, is working on a revision of the genus Schizaea. Dr G. Kükenthal works towards the end of his monograph of the Cyperaceae-Rhynchosporoideae.

Description: In the following account the author of the present paper has endeavoured to compile all available information regarding this interesting member of the Gramineae-Zoysieae. As the genus under consideration has in many cases been incorrectly described, it appeared highly desirable to amend the faults and inaccuracies committed by both the original author of the genus and various subsequent taxonomists. The results of these investigations are being put forward in the following pages.

Description: Dr. C. A. BACKER and Dr. O. POSTHUMUS, Varenflora voor Java. Overzicht deiop Java voorkomende varens en varenachtigen, hare verspreiding, oekologie en toepassingen. Uitgave van (Fern flora for Java. Conspectus of the ferns and fern allies occurring in Java, their distribution, ecology and use. Issued by) ’s Lands Plantentuin, Buitenzorg, June 1939. I—XLVII, 1—370, 1 Plate, 1 map and 81 text figures. — ƒ 7.50. The users both at home and abroad of Dr. BACKER’s florae have always regretted that, however carefully these books have been prepared, most of them were imperfect in one way or another. They were either restricted to certain vegetations (weedflorae for tea and sugar-cane) or did not cover all groups of vascular plants; the ”Flora van Batavia“ (1907), the ”Schoolflora voor Java“ (1911) contain only the Dicotyledoneae-Dialypetalae, the ”Handboek voor de flora van Java“ (1928) contains scattered families of the Ferns and Fern Allies, Gymnosperms and many Monocotyledons. This phenomenon is probably due to the fact that BACKER is a most accurate and painstaking worker, who is inclined to refrain from publication unless he is reasonably sure to be correct; and we all know how difficult it is to reach a mental state of this description. However, BACKER has for some years been engaged in preparing with untiring and admirable energy, a new and complete ”Schoolflora voor Java“, the manuscript of which is rapidly growing to maturity. When the Pteridophytes were completed as far as the regions up to 3300’ were concerned, Dr. POSTHUMUS suggested a collaboration in order to make a complete flora of vascular cryptogams. This collaboration of our keenest connoisseur of the Java flora and our best pteridologist resulted in the book, which we have the pleasure to announce and recommend here. Together with the new. ”Schoolflora“ to which we may be looking forward soon, it will form the first reliable flora of the vascular plants of Java. Although the Dutch language is probably less unapproachable than the Russian one, with which Soviet botanists try to convince the world that everybody should know Russian (or that it is not necessary that other peoples should know Russian botany?), it is, I think, to be regretted that our mother tongue has been chosen for a book which many foreign botanists, notably in British Malaya and British Borneo, may desire to use. This is the more so, as the book does not only contain keys to the determination and descriptions of the 15 families, 104 genera and 515 species, but also interesting chapters on the distribution (with map), the ecology, the sociology and the use of the plants described. Also the introductory paragraphs (pp. XIII—XXX) contain many valuable and interesting notes on the morphology; the wording of these chapters is probably not easy for those who are only little familiar with our language, as BACKER has a certain predilection for a literary style.

Description: In this paper two grasses from New Guinea are described as new species. One of these is proposed as the type of a new genus, the other is referred to a hitherto supposed monotypic genus which is suggested as the type of a new tribe. Ancistragrostis S. T. Blake; genus novum, e tribu Agrostidearum, affine Deyeuxiae Beauv., sed glumis atque lemmate induratis, lemmate quam glumis conspicue longiore ejus arista robusta uncinata distinguendum.

Description: The “Notes on the Flora of Java” I and II published in Bull. Jard. hot. Buitenz., Sér. III, Vol. XVI², 107—110 (1939) and in Blumea V, No. 3, 490—525 (1945). Next to these the present paper has two other precursors published under different titles but serving entirely the same purpose, which exists in the publishing of all the observations (including new species and nomenclatorial changes) made during the preparation of a Flora of Java under the direction of Dr C. A. Backer (see introduction to Notes II).

Description: When studying the marine species of the genus Cladophora in the Netherlands, I had the disposal of the material of the National Herbarium at Leiden, the herbaria of the Universities of Amsterdam, Groningen and Utrecht and those of the “Zoölogisch Station” at Den Helder and the “Koninklijke Nederlandse Botanische Vereniging” at Leiden. It is a pleasure to me to express my best thanks to the directors of the Institutes mentioned above, for putting the material at my disposal, and to Miss Dr J. Th. Koster, who gave me much valuable help. Especially the material of the National Herbarium at Leiden was very interesting to me, since it contains the herbaria of Kützing, Hauck, and very many reliable exsiccata, so it was possible to compare some Dutch species with the original specimens.

Description: The only hitherto known comprehensive studies on the Netherlands Indian Charophyta appeared in 1897 and 1899 in the ”Prodrome de la Flore Algologique des Indes Neerlandaises“, and were compiled by E. DE WILDEMAN. These papers intend to give a mere enumeration of all Charophyta published up to 1896, and therefore mainly contain the species recorded by the famous Charaphytologists ALEX. BRAUN and OTTO NORDSTEDT in 1849, 1882, 1888 and 1889. In the twentieth century only three papers were published on the Charophyta of this area, viz. that by DE WILDEMAN (1900), that by GUTWINSKY (1902), and that by FILARSZKY (1934). The first-named author worked up the specimens occurring in Java, the second one adds two species to this list, whereas the latter studied materials collected in 1928 and 1929 by the German Limnological Sunda Expedition.

Description: Dr. P. Wagenaar Hummelinck entrusted me with the study of 20 adult specimens of a new species of Cyathura which he collected in fresh-water springs of the limestone-region in Curaçao. These localities are described in the 1st and the 4th paper of this series.

Description: This paper contains the results of the study of the fish-collection, made by P. Wagenaar Hummelinck, on the islands of the Leeward Group and some parts of the adjacent South-American continent, in 1936—’37 and in 1930. The latter have already been studied by Miss M. Sanders (1936) and are only included for completeness’ sake. The material has been presented to the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam.

Description: In the year 1930 Mr P. WAGENAAR HUMMELINCK, Utrecht, made a trip to the Netherlands West Indian Islands of Curaçao, Bonaire and Aruba with the intention of collecting zoological objects and of gathering data of zoogeographical interest (see lit. 8). In the years 1936—37 he again collected in these islands and, moreover, visited the islands of Margarita and Los Testigos off the coast of Venezuela, the Venezuelan peninsula Paraguaná and the Colombian peninsula La Goajira. To get a better impression of ecological circumstances in pools and puddles of which a zoological inventory was made, he also gathered Algae and floating and submerged Phanerogams occurring in the collecting stations. On the collector’s request the present author made a study of the aquatic Phanerogams, which gave rise to some critical notes. As, moreover, several new localities were discovered and a series of ecological particulars were given by the collector, a complete enumeration of the collected specimens may follow. The specimens were preserved in small collecting bottles in alcohol and in formaline and are now inserted both in the Rijksherbarium at Leiden and in the University Herbarium at Utrecht.

Description: The post-Glacial history of the forests in the Netherlands has been reconstructed fairly well by pollen analysis of several bogs. At the same time stratigraphical investigations shed some light on the way in which these bogs had been built up, i.e. on the plants by which, in the various forest periods, peat was formed. Though these data are quite interesting, they do not give a good impression of the entire synchronal herbaceous flora, as they are limited to the peatbuilding plants. As yet very little is known of the rest of the vegetation (water-, marsh- and land-plants) of the late-Pleistocene and Holocene periods. We must look for their remains in other deposits, particularly in clay and sand, wherein however few land plants will be found, as their chance of preservation is very small. The best strata for an investigation of this kind he, as a rule, beneath the groundwater level, and this is a great handicap for collecting samples. Deep pits have been dug lately by the “Rijkswaterstaat” (Government office for the maintenance of dikes and canals) and as they are kept dry by intensive pumping, they are very useful for our purpose. The construction of a lock near Wijk bij Duurstede, province of Utrecht, gave us an opportunity for studying a profile extending from 4.70 m —NAP (i.e. 4.70 m below Ordnance Datum of Amsterdam) to 3.75 m + NAP (i.e. 3.75 m above O.D.). From this ± 8.5 m high profile, a complete set of samples was taken for pollen analysis, and larger quantities for macroscopical investigation. A special word of thanks is due to the technical staff of the “Rijkswaterstaat” for their kind assistance at the field work. Wijk bij Duurstede is situated in the Rhine delta, where the “Kromme Rijn”, now but a backwater of a formerly important river arm of the Rhine, branches off to the NW (see map, fig. 1). The youngest sediments consist of river clay, deposited in the broad valley of the Rhine, measuring here ± 25 km in width. About 6 km to the NE the Utrecht hill range, a push moraine dating from the Riss glacial epoch, rises up.

Description: All botanists acquainted with the family Rubiaceae will agree that the present subdivision is far from satisfactory and that more than one of its tribes are either artificial or ill-defined or both. The genera dealt with in this paper are said to belong to the Mussaendeae, but the distinction between this tribe and the Hedyotideae as defined by BENTHAM and Hooker f. (Oldenlandieae K. SCh.) rests merely on the succulence or non-succulence of the fruit and must therefore be regarded as both artificial and ill-defined: artificial, because from a morphological point of view the difference between dry and fleshy fruits is certainly not more important than that between the capsular and schizococcous fruits brought together in the first group and not more weighty than that between the various kinds of berries and drupes referred to the second; ill-defined, because the baccate fruits are sometimes dehiscent and the schizococcous ones more or less fleshy. The absence of a sharp line of demarcation separating the dry from the fleshy fruits doubtless explains the fact that the distinction has never been rigorously applied: Mussaenda L., the standard genus of the tribe with fleshy fruits, at present comprises several species provided with capsules, and plants with drupaceous fruits, by BLUME rightly referred to a genus of their own, Metabolos, have been included by BENTHAM and Hooker f. in Hedyotis L. and by K. SCHUMANN in Oldenlandia L. RIDLEY’S genus Pomazota was referred to the Hedyotideae, because the fruit, though soft and succulent, opens at last, but it is, as I will show elsewhere, identical with Coptophyllum KORTH. non GARDN., which on account of its baccate fruit was put in the Mussaendeae. Other examples might be adduced, but these will suffice to show that the distinction is a source of confusion and should be given up as soon as possible.

Description: Father G. Peekel died Febr. 19, 1949, in the Bismarck Arch. He is known as a plant collector since 1908 when he was stationed in the Bismarck Archipelago. In this Bulletin (p. 44) the rescue of his MS. Flora of the Bismarcks was announced. Many of his specimens formed the subject of contributions to Malaysian phytography (cf. ”Beiträge zur Flora Papuasiens” in Engler’s Bot. Jahrb. since 1912, and ”Plantae Peekelianae” by L. DIELS). Peekeliodendron SLEUMER, and numerous plant species commemorate his name. Prof. Dr R. Kanehira died at Tokyo on November 27th, 1948. During the Japanese occupation of Java he was Head of the Herbarium and of the Library (”Bibliotheca”) at Buitenzorg. See also under ”Miscellaneous”.

Description: Prospects for an Indonesian Agar-agar Industry. – An Indonesian agar-agar industry seems possible. Seaweeds containing a sufficient percentage of agar-agar to make them eligible for industrial purposes, are found in suitable quantities in Indonesian waters. Dr J. S. Zaneveld, the recently arrived algologist of the Buitenzorg Herbarium (cf. p. 85), is at present at Batavia occupied in collecting scientific and practical data in view of a future industrial development of these natural resources. Dr Ch.J. Bernard, is Chairman of the new established Union Internationale pour la Protection de la Nature residing at Brussels, Rue Montoyer, 42. We are sure that the fast disappearing autochthonous fauna and vegetation of Indonesia will receive all possible attention.

Description: Dr C.A. Backer finished the MS on the Amaranthaceae for the Flora Malesiana; he started work on the Chenopodiaceae, Aizoaceae and other families. Mr R.D. Hoogland, Leyden, finished the revision of Malaysian Tetracera, Acrotrema, Didesmandra and Hibbertia. He will soon start to work on Wormia and Dillenia.

Description: Blake, S.T.: The Cyperaceae collected in New Guinea by L.J. Brass II (Journ. Arn. Arbor. 28 (1947) 207-229, 1 fig. 2 pl.). Deals with the genera Hypolytrum, Thoracostachyum, Paramapania, Mapania, Lepironia, Cyperus, Eleocharis, Bulbostylis, Fuirena, Lipocarpha. Two new species of Cyperus, 1 of Mapania and 1 of Paramapania are described. Bremekamp, C.E.B.: A monograph of the genus Acranthera Arn. ex Meisn. (Rub.) (Journ. Arnold Arb. 28 (1947) 261-308). The genus is known from Ceylon and SE Asia to W Malaysia. It is subdivided into 9 subgenera; 35 spp. are recognized of which 14 are new to science. Psilobium Jack and Gonyanera Korth. are reduced.

Description: One of the causes of instability in botanical nomenclature is found in that our predecessors did not verify the nomenclatural bearing of an unknown number of (often very rare) works. In PENNANT’s 4-volume ”Outlines of the Globe” (1800), a standard geographical work at its time (1) a chapter was found recently devoted to a ”Flora Indica”. The compiler had unintentionally made some name changes which remained unrecorded in scientific botany. Not long ago ROTHMALER unearthed many such works (2). It must be realized that, quite probably, many other works will be detected necessitating future unexpected and undesirable name changes. Our proposal is to exclude, onwards of 1951, for botanical nomenclature, all works which, up till that date, have not been used for purposes of priority. In other words, to declare these to be ”nomenclaturally extinct”.

Description: Peculiarities in leaf anatomy support the opinion that the name Triodia R. Br. should be confined to the Australian species. The leaves of species of Plectrachne Henr. are quite different from those of Triraphis mollis, though formerly included in this genus, but are remarkably similar to those of Triodia.

Description: On October 16th 1946 Dr J. Th. Henrard will have reached the pensionable age of sixty five years. In accordance with the legal prescriptions he is due to take leave officially as keeper of the ”Rijksherbarium“. The present director, Prof. Dr H. J. Lam, invited me to write a short biography of Dr Henrard on this occasion. Having been Henrard’s eldest colleague till 1934 at the institution, I accepted willingly. Jan Theodoor Henrard was born October 16th, 1881 at Maastricht, where his father, J. B. Henrard, was director of the Weight and Measures Office. There is a legend in the family that the Henrards originated from the Vendée (in France) as descendants of a Huguenot-refugee. Owing to this duties J. B. Henrard was often transferred with his family from one locality to the other; his children got their education in different towns of the country. Jan visited the elementary school at Maastricht. The secundary school he followed at Zwolle and Leeuwarden respectively. At Zwolle he made the acquaintance of two well-known Dutch florists, Lako, a teacher at the secundary school and Carmiggelt, an official at his fathers office. From them Jan gathered already an extensive knowledge of the Dutch flora. His final high school certificate he got at Sneek on August 10th, 1901 (Diploma H. B. S.).

Description: Some time ago I proposed elsewhere (1) a new system of the Cormophyta. Since the periodical, whose hospitality was my privilege, may not reach many taxonomists who still may be expected to be interested in the proposal, I deem it justified to briefly review the results at which I arrived in the present journal; and this will give me an opportunity to explain one or two points of a nomenclatural nature which, it seems to me, were perhaps somewhat insufficiently elucidated in the paper quoted. As a matter of course, for details as well as for the full argumentation of my views I have to refer to that publication.

Description: After a paper had been published i.a. on the species of Stevia of the collection mentioned in the heading¹) another Stevia from the same collection came into the author’s hands. It proved to be new. The American genus Stevia has been treated in local revisions by B. L. Robinson (in Gray Herb. Harvard Univ. V, 90, 1930, 36—159; 96, 1931, 28—49; 100, 1932, 20—69). Its floral characters are fairly uniform, but the pappus shows a great diversity. The 5 achenes in a head do not mature at the same time. The genus Stevia seems to have its greatest development in Bolivia, where it is represented by 44 species. The next representation is in Peru with 24 and in Argentina with 23 species. Section Eustevia, Robinson.

Description: Dr. P. Wagenaar Hummelinck entrusted me with the study of the snakes, which he collected during his trips to the islands off the north coast of Venezuela, to the Venezuelan mainland, and to eastern Colombia. In the present paper the species collected by Dr. Hummelinck are listed with data on scale counts, coloration and with notes on nomenclature. In a few cases specimens from other collections were used for comparison, and for these the provenance is indicated in the lists of specimens. Dr. Hummelinck made notes on the names given to the different species of snakes by the inhabitants, and by his kind permission these notes are included in the present paper. These local names form an addition to those published by Roca (1932, pp. 387—388). Unless otherwise stated the specimens are in the collections of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. The numbers cited for the different specimens, Oph. 1—60, are the numbers used by the collector; they are mentioned in parentheses, the first of each list of specimens with the indication Oph., the following without this indication.

Description: Although the islands of Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire have received the attention of many naturalists, from the beginning of the West-Indian trade until to-day, it was not before 1924 that a suitable publication on the “Land and Freshwater Molluscs of the Dutch Leeward Islands” was written by Horace Burrington Baker. I should like to express my appreciation of this work, which not only facilitated my studies, but, at the same time, forced me to collect the landshells of these islands in a most intensive and systematical way, — because I should not have been competent to critisize his results, if I had not had a material of at least the same value at my disposal. As Baker very precisely localized his stations, I could collect a large series of topotypes of nearly all his new species and subspecies. This, in addition to his reproductions of the holotypes and paratypes, and the comparison of some of his paratypes in the Zoological Museum of Amsterdam, made a study of Baker’s collection rather unnecessary.

Description: In the Bergamasc Alps we have observed one major unconformity between the Basement rock and the overlying Permian. The total absence of any recognisable Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks accentuates this unconformity, and moreover this enormous hiatus makes the dating of any Palaeozoic event impossible. However, by comparison with the Central Alps and Kärnten, we learned that the Asturian orogenitic phase precedes the deposition of the first volcanic sediments. In analogy with the Aar and Gotthard masses we presumed the intrusion of the less metamorphic ortho rocks of the Basement, the granodiorite and the gneiss chiaro, to be of Upper Carboniferous age. The close resemblance of the chemical composition and differentiation of the Permian volcanic rocks and the Upper Carboniferous intrusive rocks induces us to assemble this period of magmatic activity into one period of Permo-Carboniferous age. In long NE—SW striking anticlinal zones these intrusives have penetrated into the old paraschists, causing some contact metamorphism. In the Lugano region where the volcanoes are better preserved and the differentiation of the lavas is more complete, we have seen 1) that the last feature of magmatic activity had been the pressing out of the granophyr, an acid igneous rock, in a very large dome-like structure. The chemical composition of this granophyr is so much like that of the gneiss chiaro or the granites of the Val Rossiga that there can be little doubt that they all belong to the same magmatic source. Also, the intrusive rocks of the Err-Bernina, Lower East-Alpine thrustsheets and their Permian porphyries have a similar chemical composition and must be closely related to our intrusive and volcanic rocks. Hence the whole region of what Later became the Alpine geosyncline was in Permo-Carboniferous time the scene of extensive intrusion and extrusion of igneous rocks. In Permian time the topographical surface was above sea level in the Lugano region where erosion was active and the volcanoes were formed in a mountainous country, but it was mostly covered by shallow water further east. In the later stages of this period considerable tangential forces shaped long anticlines, pressed out the granophyr magma to the surface and formed the very deep central Permian trough and the Camonica uplift of the Bergamasc Alps (see Plate XLIII). Other structural features are indicated, but only these two latter structures, the Camonica uplift and the Permian trough, are clearly visible, and they may be the result of faulting instead of folding. The shape of the Permian trough with its steep flanks and flat bottom would indicate perhaps a fault trough rather than a syncline. This trough is flanked in the NW by the Averara ridge, which, however, is a more pronounced uplift in the Middle Triassic than in the Permian. Whether the Brinzio-Maroggio anticline of the Lugano district, along which the volcanoes are arranged, must also be regarded as a Permo-Carboniferous structure can not he ascertained. Both the Lower Permian (Collio) and the Upper Permian (Verrucano) increase in thickness in eastern direction (compare fig. 16 and 17). In the Lugano region the Verrucano is only preserved in the small outcrops of the San Martino conglomerate at both sides of the Lugano lake. East of the Como lake it has a thickness of less than 50 m, but increases gradually to sonic 800 m in the eastern Bergamasc Alps. The Collio has a similar development of its thickness but is in the west a pure volcanic formation and is first observed round the Valsassina core as a sedimentary rock, further west only irregular patches of volcanic rocks have been deposited. In the East Alpine thrustsheets the Verrucano is generally present but not in great thicknesses, except in the Campo sheet. The Permian in the Lower East Alpine sheets (Bernina sheet) consists of porphyries only. The western limit of the Permian is again observed in the Helvetian thrustsheets, where the most western Axen sheet does not contain any Permian, whilst the more eastern Glarner and Mürtschen sheets contain thick Verrucano masses. The same wedging out of the Permian towards the west is observed along the Tavetscher zone between the Gotthard and Aar massives. The Triassic of the Lombardic Alps is its most interesting and best developped formation. The Werfenian of Lugano consists of a simple coarse sandstone, and the upper dolomitic member is encountered for the first time in the Valsassina. Through the whole Bergamasc Alps the Werfenian is rather sandy but becomes more and more shaly and calcareous towards the east, apparently we pass from a purely continental region in the west to a marine facies in the east. The same tendency was found in the Upper Permian where the Bellerophon horizon of South Tirol sets in above the Verrucano from the Brenta group eastwards. The development of the Middle Triassic as Anisian and Ladinian in distinct facies, in the Bergamasc Alps increasing in thickness in eastern direction, connects with the development of these stages on the Mt. Giorgio, where the Salvatore dolomite is already split in two by the Bituminous Horizon on the boundary between the two stages. The Middle Triassic from Lugano, with its Salvatore dolomite where Anisian and Ladinian can hardly he distinguished, slowly develops in the Bergamasc facies of Ladinian Esino dolomite-limestone and Anisian Gracilisschists and Trinodosus horizon. We have seen that the northerly facies of the Ladinian contains mostly Buchensteiner and Wengener, in the southerly facies the Esino occupies the whole Ladinian. Over the Averara ridge both stages are much thinner and incomplete, and the Anisian increases in thickness towards the Val Camonica, whereas the Ladinian decreases. Here we find also the distinct Wengener splinter shale basin. On the westerly border of the Camonica ridge many facies changes take place. FABER (lit. 21) pointed out that the wedging out of the Collio, the facies change from cavernous dolomite to Elto dolomite of the Upper Werfenian, and the rapid transition from Wengener shales to Esino dolomite all occur on approximately the same line, the one above the other. In Southern Tirol the Middle Triassic has much the same development, the total thickness depending mostly on the presence of thick reef limestone (dolomite), e.g. the Schlern dolomite or Marmolata limestone. One pecularity is, however, very striking in the region between the Pale San Martino and the Adamello and that is the disappearance of the Raibler as a distinct lithological horizon. The merging of Carnian and Ladinian dolomites sets in in the Val Camonica, in the Brenta group only occasionally some Upper Raibler mals are observed and the Raibler appears again north of the Pale San Martino. At the same time the Lower Ladinian facies of Buchensteiner and Wengener is also absent. Elsewhere the Raibler, although very variable, has very much the same shallow water facies, with occasional tuffogenous intercalations. Is is much thinner in the Lugano region. The Upper Triassic and Rhaetic are very different in the regions of Tirol, Bergamasc Alps and Lugano. In the east the two formations are developped as one dolomitic mass, the Dachstein dolomite; in the Bergamasc Alps we find a thick Norian Hauptdolomite and a complete series of well developped Rhaetic series, whereas in the Lugano region the Rhaetic is either absent or represented by the Upper member, the Conchodon dolomite. At the same time the Liassic rests here uncomformably on the Rhaetic or Norian with the typical transgressive Hierlatz facies. The Liassic siliciferous limestones are very much the same from west to east, somewhat thicker in the west, specially in the large complex from the Mt. Generoso to the Como Lake. The comparison of the three regions, Lugano, Bergamasc Alps and South Tirol has been summarized in a tabel. The boundaries between these geographical units are not constant though. The boundary between Tirol and Bergamasc Alps lies during the Norian-Rhetic in the Brenta group and in the Carnian-Ladinian and in the Permian west of Val Camonica. The Collio reappears even in a thick complex east of the Camonica ridge in the Val Trompia. The boundary between the Lugano region and the Bergamasc Alps is even less fixed, it lies somewhere between the Generoso and the Alta Brianza Lecco region, but can not be determined much further as the Liassic limestones cover all the older formations between these two points. The Averara ridge, altough very pronounced in the Permian, Lower and Middle Triassic is not a facies boundary, at both sides the facies is very similar. It has always been known that the Lombardic Trias facies is very much alike that of the East Alpine thrustsheets. Both in the Helvetian and in the Pennine zones of the Alpine sedimentation basin the Triassic is very poorly developped, and can in no way be compared to that of the Southern and Eastern Alps. When we consider the conformity between the Lombardic and eastern Alps facies somewhat closer, we observe a great similarity between the Lugano region and the Lower East Alpine unit. Both have porphyries in the Permian and no Verrucano, in both the boundary between Ladinian and Anisian is very vague. The whole Triassic in the Err-Bernina sheets is much reduced as compared to the Triassic of Campo- and Silvretta thrustsheets. The Rhetic is much completer in the Err-Bernina than in the Lugano region, but both are again characterized by thick siliciferous Lias limestones, which is transgressive with a Hierlatz limestone facies on the Rhetic and Norian in both tectonical units. The Middle East-Alpine thrustsheet, the Camposheet and its accessory units, is characterized in the Münster valley by a thick Verrucano series of some 600 m. with pebbles of quartzporphyry and granite. Porphyry sheets are lacking in this serie. The Triassic of the Camposheet as a whole is much thicker than that of the Lower East-Alpine sheets, but the Anisian is not very thick yet, much less than in the Upper East-Alpine sheets, and the Werfenian is hardly represented. Lugano Bergamasc Alps South Tirol Liassic Siliciferous limestone 100—1000 m. Transgressive Hierlatz facies Siliciferous limestone 500—1000 m. Limestone 300—400 m. Rhetic. Absent, or only Upper member Conchodon dolomite Complete from Alta Brianza to Brenta group 550—800 m. Daehstein dolomite ;' 1000 1400 m Norian Hauptdolomite 250 m. 1200 m. Hauptdolomite Carnian Series of shales, marl, dolomite 100—350 m. Thick series of shales, marl, dolom. and sandstones 250—700 m. Western facies Eastern facies Schlern dolomite porphyries, tufs etc. from Pale S. Martino 150 m shale Sst. dolomite Northern facies Southern facies Northern facies Southern facies Marmolata St. Cassian limestone Wengener Esino limestone Wengener sst. and sh. Buchensteiner chert, limestone 600—1200 Esino dolomite, limestone Wengener, splinter shale facies Ladinian Salvatore dolomite 300—600 m Salvatore dot. Bituminous horizon Mendola dolomite Buchensteiner or Beitzi sch. Anisian Trinodosus hor. 50—150 m. Gracilis Schists from W—E 150—450 m., Nodulous limest. Mendola dolomite Gracilis schists marls, dolom. """"Werfenian 50 m. sandstone Cavernous dolomite 200—450 m. shale, marl, sst. Servino Campiler sch. 250 m. Gastropod, list. Seiser sch. 80 m. Permian absent or porphyries, tufs etc. basal congl. Verrucano from WE 50—800 m. Collio, porph. vole. sst. tufs etc. central Collio shale basin 0—2000 m. Basal conglomerate Bellerophon hor. 0—250 m. Ciavflpnn Sst 100 9.CV\ m (Vermomnn} Bozener porphyries Basal conglomerate (Collio) The Ladinian is present as Wettersteindolomite (250—600m) without the typical Partnach facies of the Upper East-Alpine thrustsheets. The Raibler is some 400 m thick, dolomites, shales, shaly limestones, rauhwacke and gypsum, porphyrites etc. The Norian is very thick, 500—2000m, and developed as typical Hauptdolomite, whereas the Rhetic is present in the facies of the Kössener schists, black and reddish shaly limestones and shales, which can be compared to the Lombardic facies of the Scisti neri. The agreement with our western Bergamasc Alps is striking. Exeptionally thick Norian, Esinodolomite, thin Anisian, and thick Verrucano are the characteristics of the region between the Valsassina and the Val Seriana. The Werfenian is much completer in Lombardia, and the Collio of the central trough is absent in the Camposheet but in general the similarity is not less striking than that of the Err-Bernina sheet with the Lugano-Grigna region. The Averara ridge although not the boundary between the two facies, can possibly be correlated with the geoanticlinal ridge between the Lower and Upper East-Alpine sheets. The Upper East-Alpine thrustsheets, (Lechtal, Silvretta) show a great similarity with the eastern Bergamasc Triassic. The Werfenian has an Upper Rauhwacke member, the Anisian shows the nodulous limestone (Reiflinger Knollenkalk), the Gracilis limestone, the brachiopod limestone etc. in exactly the same facies. The Ladinian is not identical to such a degree as the lower members of the Triassic, but the Arlberg Limestone and dolomite can be very well compared to the Esino limestone and the Partnachschichten to the Wengener shales (splinter-shales!). The Carnian again is very similar, rauhwacke, marls, gypsum, shales and sandstones, black limestones are present in both units. In the Lechtal sheet the Norian Dachstein limestone and the Rhetic Dachstein corraline limestone are only separated by the „Kössenerschichten”, corraline limestone and shales of the Lower Rhetic. The Norian is reduced in comparison with that of the Camposheet. The Carnian of the Ducan region is exeptionally thick, some 900 m, with an upper 300 m of Upper-Carnian dolomites 1). Such development of the southerly part of the Upper East Alpine thrustsheet can already be regarded as a transition to the Camonica facies where nearly the whole 700m thick Raibler is developped as dolomites. Striking as the agreement of the development of the sedimentary sequence in Lombardia and in the east Alpine thrustsheets may be, great differences can also be noted. First of all the Permian of the Bergamasc Alps with its central Permian trough with 1500—2000 m of Lower Permian Carona shales and volcanic rocks can not be found back in the Eastern Alpine thrustsheets. In the second place the typical development of the Lower Ladinian in Buchensteiner and Wengener facies is restricted to the Southern Alps and Tirol. Finally the „Flecken mergel”, (mottled marls), and Allgäuschiefer of the Liassic of the eastern Alpine facies are not represented in Lombardia. On the other hand the abyssal facies of Upper Liassic, Dogger and Malm in Radiolarite and Aptici limestone and marl is present in both stratigraphical units. That great differences exist between two regions, which in their original position in the geosyncline are widely separated although in the same basin, is quite logical. Lombardia is the southwesterly extension of a large basin, of which the East-Alpine thrustsheets occupy the centre and the north easterly end. Moreover the basin must have widened out considerably in NE direction. That the troughs and ridges opened fan-like in this direction from Lombardia follows from the fact that the E—W distance from L. Maggiore to the Val Camonica is less than the combined breadth of the East Alpine thrustsheets. Moreover we must not forget that even in the small width of the Bergamasc Alps already considerable facies change from North to South could be demonstrated, both in the Ladinian and in the Anisian. The main differences are found, as mentioned above, in the Permian and in the Lower Liassic, particularly in the Middle and Upper East-Alpine sheets. The development of the Permian in the Bergamasc Alps is due to late Variscian movements which apparently are not parallel to the Alpine geosyncline, and therefore need not continue in similar facies in the direction of the Alpine geosyncline. The Liassic Allgäuschiefer of the East-Alpine facies can be regarded as a transition between the penninic Bündnerschiefer facies and the Lombardic silieiferous limestone facies. The Cretaceous of the East Alpine basins can in no way be compared to the Lombardic Majolica and Scaglia. This is due to the fact that in Upper Cretaceous time the Alpine orogeny attacked this northern part of the Alpine geosyncline, whereas Lombardia remained mostly undisturbed. The dividing line between the southern and eastern Alps originated with the folding of the East-Alpine sheets, and became accentuated when the Pennine sheets were folded in the Oligocene, and became still more pronounced when the uplift of the central folded system occurred in the post Oligocene Insubric phase. In the tectonical part we have shown that the youngest Tertiary tectonical direction is purely W—E. The Orobic thrustfault and its accessories cut off obliquely the older ENE—WSW structures as for instance the Orobic anticline. This latter direction is mainly pronounced in the anticlinal structures, e.g. the Brinzio-Marroggio anticline, the Orobic anticline, the Cabianca-Trabuchello anticline, and the Cedegolo anticline, but also in some faults as the Clusone and Bondione faults. The great thrustmovements, the Grigna thrustsheets, the thrusting against the Valtorta and the Valcanale faults, further the Timogno and Ardesio thrusts, and the eastern thrusts of the Pzo Camino and the Palline Borno-Lozzio masses is all bound to the E—W strike or the N—S compression. The Insubric line, the boundary between the Southern Alps and the Central Alps, i.e. the division line between Pennine root zone and the Orobic zone, has also a W—E strike from the Lago Maggiore to Dinaro. Therefore also this major tectonical line probably originated only in a later period of the folding process. This conclusion is in complete accordance with the views of the general conception of the Alpine orogeny, which places the origin of the Insubric line in the post Oligocene, older Insubric phase. In this phase the roots of the Pennine thrustsheets were tilted in a vertical position. The Insubric phase, the tilting of the root zones is naturally a time of uplift, the Central Alps rose above their fore- and hinterland. This is also the origin of the several fault steps we could discern in the Bergamasc Alps. In the Younger Insubric phase (Pliocene) when the final compression took place, all the Bergamasc thrustsheets were formed, they were sheared of their substratum from a higher step and pushed over the lower step. The N—S faulting has a intermediate position, it is younger than the old anticlinal folding and older than the final thrust, and is probably connected with the older Insubric phase when the uplifting of the steps occurred. The stratigraphic comparison has made it clear that the southern, the central and the eastern Alpine basins were portions of one geosyncline, separated from another probably by ridges, geanticlines, but still forming together one continuous unit. This connection was ruptured by the first severe Upper-Cretaceous Alpine orogenesis, the origin of the east-Alpine thrustsheets. At that moment an oblique line cut a southern minor portion from the rest. This rupture line later became the Insubric line. By its present position we can still follow its course in the original basin, because the southern Alps are only little changed in aspect compared to the more central parts. West of the Lago Maggiore it followed the ridge dividing the southern basins from the central Pennine ones, then, north of this lake it curves round to an E—W strike thus cutting obliquely through the basin structures. It retains this diagonal coarse untill it had crossed or just reached the very important Camonica geanticline, it then swung back to its original direction parallel to this ridge along the so called Judicaria line. Finally it resumes its E—W strike as the Pusteria line and limites southern Tirol to the North, separating this region from the East Alpine thrustsheets. This early boundary line is not quite identical with the Insubric line, because the latter cuts occasionally with a very sharp angle through the root zones of the Pennine thrustsheets, but the two lines are sufficiently alike to identifie them for our purpose. The remarkable wavy course of the Pusteria-Insubric line is thus due to the fact that the N—S compressional direction necessitated an E—W strike but the existing inhomogenities of the region indicated a NE—SW strike, between those two influences the result alternated. The ENE—WSW anticlinal structures being older than the original Insubric line, belong therefore to a prae-Cretaceous or Cretaceous phase, a phase which also accounts for the totally different facies of the Cretaceous in East-Alpine and Lombardic sedimentary-basins. If this is true some erosion on the crests of the Cretaceous structures may have taken place before the much later, probably Pliocene, finial compression took place. RASSMUS 1) has thoroughly treated the Cretaceous folding phase of the Lombardic Alps. The Scaglia of the foothills, in which unfortunately no fossils of stratigraphic value have been found, belongs probably to the Cenomanian-Turonian and is a typical regressive facies with which the Alpine sedimentary cycle closes. In the thick Santonian gravels, which were deposited in the Po plain, the material is derived from Liassic and Jurassic rocks, but also of Triassic rocks and even of Permian porphyrites. This conglomerate can he regarded as a equivalent of the Gosau Schists of the northern Alps. The folding phase preceding the erosion can be put therefore in one of the subhercynic phases of Stille. Undoubtedly the final thrusting has therefore been preceded by erosion, and we may presume that some of the thrusting has the character of „reliefüberschietrangen” as advocated by AMPFERER 2). In general, however, our thrustsheets are of too small dimensions to allow the determination of the characteristics of this particular way of thrusting. This phenomenon may to a certain extent account for the fact that the Grigna thrustsheets pass over the faulted and folded underground with plane thrustplanes without being affected in the least by these structures. I can not find much evidence in favour of such theory, though, because most of the structural features of the underground are of equally recent datum as the thrusting movement, or only very slightly older. The Valtorta fault for instance is certainly older than the thrusting, both because the thrustplanes pass over the fault and because the Norian and Raibler of the southern limb have been pressed against it. But it is not as old as the Orobic anticline, although it is fairly parallel to this structure, because it certainly belongs to the phase of uplifting of the central Alps, the older Insubric phase, and therefore not to the Cretaceous phase of folding. Still, even between the Older and Younger Insubric phases some erosion may have taken place, that is between the Miocene and the Lower Pliocene, and the height differences along this fault may have been removed to some extent. The same is true for the Clusone fault in connection with the Presolana sheet and the Pilo fault in connection with the Lozio overthrust. Let us summarize the results of our deductions in a short tabel. Extensive denudation removing all palaeozoic sedimentary rocks. Asturian folding followed by extensive intrusion of acid magmas in long stretched NE—SW zones. Permian. Erosion continues in the west. Magmatic intrusion is followed by widespread volcanic action. In the east deposition of large subaquatic volcanic sediments. Saalic compression, origin of central Permian Collio trough, Camonica uplift and extrusion of granophyr, Erosion in the western region continues, in the east deposition of Verrucano conglomerates. Triassic. Continuous sedimentation in the south-east Alpine basin of Triassic rocks. Older Kimmeric phase uplift of the Arzo anticline followed by erosion and transgressive Hierlatz facies in the Lugano-Lower East Alpine region. In the Lugano region the movement started already in the Rhaetic. Sedimentation of Liassic and of abyssal Dogger and Malm and bathyal Lower Cretaceous. Austrian or Subhercynic folding („Juvavische phase” of R. Staub) origin of long ENE—WSW anticlines. Only the first beginnings of the strong Cretaceous orogenesis of the East-Alpine sheets has effected Lombardia, later in this phase the eastern Alps were cut off along a diagonal line partly following the anticlinal ridges and were severely compressed in thrustsheets. The major Pennine (Oligocene) phase of the folding of the Pennine sheets and further compression of the east Alpine sheets did not reach the southern alps. Insubric phases, lste phase. The central Alps were raised to considerable height, the roots were tilted in vertical position and the ,,steps"""" of the Lombardic Alps were formed. Origin of BNE—WSW faults (Valtorta, Clusone, Valcanale faults). N—S striking fault systems (Val Vedra fault trough, Manina fault troughs). Intrusion of Adamello tonalite. 2nd. phase. N"""" to S compression, the lower limbs of the ENB—WSW faults were pressed against the fault, origin of Timogno and Ardesio thrusts. Origin of Tertiary dikes. 3rd. phase. Possibly some erosion. Strong N to S compression. Origin of Orobic thrust and accessory thrusts, (Jrigna thrustsheets, Arera thrust, Palline-Borno and Lozzio oventhrusts and the Presolana and ('amino thrustsheets. Often renewed activity along existing faults (Clusone fault). The age of these Insubric phases can be judged by the fact that the Miocene inolasse has been folded, and that (the horizontal Pliocene has been deposited in fjords eroded in a strongly dissected landscape.

Description: Pollen analytical and geological investigations of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene in the Northern Netherlands. The Pleistocene deposits in the northern part of the Netherlands, form through their extreme thickness up to more than 300 m, a promising object for study from the stratigraphical point of view. The boulder clay of the penultimate glaciation lies in the province of Drente at or near the surface, but in northerly and westerly directions it dips away beneath Upper Pleistocene and Holocene deposits. The Pleistocene deposits below this boulder clay form the subject of the present paper. In the first chapter the existing opinions regarding the stratigraphy are briefly reviewed. Van Cappelle (1888, 1891, 1892a, 1892b) and Lorié (1887a, 1893, 1899) described several borings already in the last century. They found the boulder clay in general to be underlain by a fine grained sand below which a coarse sand occurred, containing many Scandinavian erratics. Both, Lorié and Van Cappelle considered the coarse sands as having been deposited under the simultaneous influence of southern rivers and northern fluvio-glacial streams. Therefore it was assumed that a Scandinavian ice-front was at that time not too far distant. Van Cappelle believed that this ice-front belonged to an older glaciation than that from which the boulder clay originated, since he found in the fine sediments some rare plant remains which indicated a temperate climate. Lorié, however, took the ice-front to be a mere oscillation of the same glaciation which deposited the boulder clay. Later geologists agreed with Lorié (Tesch, 1934, 1937, 1947; Steenhuis, 1939), basing their opinion on a correlation with the central part of the Netherlands, where a coarse zone occurs above the Nede clay representing the Mindel-Riss Interglacial (Florschütz and Jonker, 1942). It is at present generally accepted that these coarse gravel containing sands form one continuous horizon which was deposited during the first cold stage of the Riss glaciation, whereas the boulder clay represents the second cold stage. Hardly anything is known about deeper horizons in the northern Netherlands. According to Tesch and Steenhuis Mindel-Riss Interglacial deposits are lacking; the Mindel Glacial stage is perhaps represented by an other zone of coarse deposits overlying again a series of fine grained sediments. The base of the Pleistocene is formed by marine beds which, in the opinion of Tesch (1934, 1937), comprise in part, the Günz Glacial stage, since the molluscan fauna of the middle part bears a distinctly arctic character. Since the stratigraphy was based on lithological criteria alone it seemed desirable to investigate whether it could be confirmed on palaeontological grounds. For this purpose pollen analysis proved to be the most suitable method, since the sequence of sediments under review is accessible only in borings, which seldom yield macroscopic fossils. In chapter II some technical aspects of the pollen analytical research are discussed. The material available consisted of samples of some rare peat beds, of samples of often thick clay beds and of lumps of clay and peat, which are found sometimes in sand samples. Such lumps probably originate from very thin peat beds, which were not differentiated in the sample as separate layers. This is proved by the similarity between the spectra of these lumps and the spectra of thin beds found in situ in nearby borings (table II and III, p. 272). In general very sandy samples were not analysed. unless they were very humic and nearly sandy peat in appearance (table IV, p. 273). The samples investigated proved to be rich enough in pollen to furnish reliable counts. A number of absolute pollen frequencies of different materials are given in table I (p. 271). All the samples were prepared after the technique introduced by Erdtman (1943). Some spectra indicated pollen of tertiary genera, which became extinct in western Europe at the beginning of the Pleistocene period. These pollens are clearly derived from tertiary deposits, but the same may be the case with other pollen of less diagnostic character. The question thus arises to which extent the pollen content of the strata under study has been derived from older series. The correction technique developed by Iversen (1936), who subtracted the clearly secondary pollen he found in a boulder clay from the spectrum he obtained in the complex overlying it, could not be applied in our case, where the sediments studied unfortunately underly the boulder clay. It might be feasible to correct contaminated spectra by comparing them with pure spectra from nearly the same depth, so that possible climatic differences can be disregarded. Contaminated spectra were found in several thick clay complexes. In these cases intercalations of peat beds which could have yielded uncontaminated material for comparison do not occur. Therefore the amount of contamination could not be estimated and all spectra given are uncorrected. However, we have indicated in the diagrams the amount of typical tertiary pollen (T) and of Hystrix (H), expressed in percentages of the tree pollen. However, four arguments indicate that the amount of reworked pollen in general not great: 1. the low frequency of Hystrix, which proved to be a measure of the impurity in Iversen’s material; 2. the absolute pollen frequencies of the impure spectra as compared with the pure ones; 3. the very small pollen content of the boulder clay; 4. the similarity of pure and impure spectra in corresponding zones of different diagrams. The depth given for each spectrum in the diagrams corresponds with the average depth of top and bottom of the sample (in metres below N. A. P. = high water at Amsterdam). In chapter III the results of the pollen analysis are discussed, whereas in chapter IV a stratigraphical interpretation is attempted after comparing the diagrams. The number of Lower and Middle Pleistocene pollen diagrams from western Europe is still very limited. The most important diagrams are those from Quakenbrück (Wildvang, 1935; Jonas, 1937a) and Ummendorf (Selle, 1941), both from western Germany. The diagrams from Starup and Harreskov, published in the classical paper by Jessen and Milthers (1928), have not been used since it is quite uncertain whether the penultimate interglacial referred to by the authors can be correlated with the Mindel-Riss or the Riss-Warthe Interglacial. Of the borings investigated (for localities compare map, fig 1) Bantega yielded by far the best diagram. This boring has specially been carried out for this purpose and yielded a complete sequence of undisturbed cores. The diagram is found to be in close agreement with those of Quakenbrück and Ummendorf: during the hardwood phase the mixed oak forest reached its maximum at an early date (20.65—20.85m); only afterwards Carpinus and Abies appeared and Picea had a distinct (double) maximum after the climatic optimum of the hardwood phase (18.54 and 17.94 m). There can be no doubt as to the Mindel-Riss Interglacial age of this diagram. The same interglacial epoch can, based on a smaller number of spectra still clearly be recognized in some other diagrams viz. Bergumerheide (41.60—65.0 m), Sneek (24.0—46.0 m), Spannenburg (20.40—88.0 m), Lemsterland (15.58— 54.47 m) and Gasselte (27.80—62.65 m). Furthermore Bergumerheide (7.00 m) and Spannenburg (9.30 m) show a temperate spectrum close below the boulder clay, representing probably the Riss I/II Interstadial stage. Three deeper borings again show beneath the Mindel-Riss Interglacial a number of spectra with a temperate character. In a few of these pollen of Pterocarya occur (Spannenburg, 211.90 to and deeper; Lemsterland 153,40 m). Pterocarya has long been known from the Tegelen clay, but the age of this famous locality has not yet been determined with certainly. Tesch (1934, 1937) and Florschütz (1939) hold the view that it represents the Günz-Mindel Interglacial, but at present some authors consider the Tegelen clay as belonging to the Günz I/II Interstadial. Our palaeontological knowledge of the Lower Pleistocene is still too incomplete to solve the problem. We do not know whether some so-called tertiary relics (for inst. Tsuga, Pterocarya) which occur in the Tegelen clay, range upward into the first interglacial or not. In this respect we may remark that the diagrams from Spannenburg and Lemsterland possess no indications of cold spectra which could he interpreted as Günz II Glacial stage. An equivalent of the Tegelen clay has probably been found at Bergumerheide. Florschütz (1938) mentioned Azolla tegeliensis (155—157 m) which he suggested as a characteristic species of the zone of Tegelen. At Spannenburg another species (A. filiculoides) which is characteristic for the Nede clay (Mindel-Riss Interglacial) has been found between 25 and 40 m. A boring near Dordrecht however, yielded both species from the same bed. Bergumerheide shows between the horizon with A. tegeliensis and the Mindel-Riss Interglacial deposits a third zone with spectra of a temperate climate and without tertiary relics (88.0—125.25 m). This strongly suggests that the zone of Tegelen belongs to the Günz I/II Interstadial and that the abovementioned horizon at Bergumerheide represents the Günz-Mindel Interglacial. Perhaps the spectra between 187.15 and 197.90 m of Spannenburg belong to the same horizon. An entirely different picture is shown by the diagrams of Assen and Winschoten. Pinus predominates throughout the diagrams, but nearly all spectra are contaminated with tertiary pollen and with Hiystrix. As we do not know to which degree the percentages of certain genera are overrated, the diagrams are less valuable. The diagram of Assen is particularly monotonous. Winschoten shows rather high Alnus percentages in the lower part. The same has been observed in a thin peat bed of the boring Zuidbroek (93.17—93.27 m, table V, p. 291), which possesses 2% Tsuga pollen. Since in this case we have no reason to believe that the sample is contaminated, it must be assumed that the entire pollen content is autochthonous and therefore the spectrum probably represents the (Günz I/II Interstadial. The same horizon can perhaps be recognized in the nearby boring at Winschoten. The same picture as at Assen and Winschoten is shown by the diagram of Drouwen and the lower part of Sneek. We shall see later that geological considerations are of assistance in interpreting these profiles. In chapter V further consideration is given to the Middle Pleistocene marine horizon and a new conclusion has been reached regarding the age of this deposit which has a hearing upon the general understanding of the glacial stratigraphy of the northern Netherlands. In two borings the Middle Pleistocene sediments are partly developed in marine facies (Bergumerheide 46.00—62.00 m; Sneek 31.00—42.00 m). The marine deposits lie above a coarse fluviatile series which is generally held to be of early Riss Glacial age. The pollen diagrams prove the marine sediments to be deposited between the mixed oak forest phase and the Picea phase, i. e. in the second half, of the Mindel-Riss Interglacial. The underlying coarse deposits must therefore have been laid down during the first half of the same interglacial. A Mindel-Riss Interglacial transgression is known from England as well as from Germany. In East Anglia the Corton Sands (Baden-Powell and Reid Moir, 1942; Zeuner, 1945) and in N. W. Germany the sediments of the Holstein-See (Grahle, 1938) were deposited during this transgression. The molluscan fauna (Tesch, 1939) proves to be somewhat colder in character than the landflora which is understandable since the sea transgressed from the north and consequently introduced northern species. On the other hand free immigration from the south was possible by land. Reid (1890) has already pointed out that different conclusions may be reached regarding climatic conditions from a comparison of marine and terrestrial organisms. Furthermore several rivers are known to have had their main aggradation phases during interglacial times when the rising sea level decreased their transporting capacity and thus were forced to deposit their load. As Zeuner (1945) stated we have to distinguish between thallassostatic terraces in the lower and climatic terraces in the middle courses. All classic studies of river terraces have been made of climatic terraces with glacial aggradation and interglacial valley formation. The lower courses of two west European rivers have been studied from the eustatic point of view: the Somme (Commont, 1910; De Lamothe, 1918; Breuil and Koslowski, 1931/32) and the Thames (King and Oakley, 1936) and the results are briefly reviewed. It seems that the same conditions which obtained in the lower Somme and the lower Thames were present in the northern part of the Netherlands: the principal factors affecting the behaviour of the rivers were oscillations of the sealevel during glacial and interglacial times, although terraces in the morphological sense did not develop owing to the gradual subsidence of the North Sea basin. Since all relevant deposits are entirely covered by younger sediments we do not yet know where in this country the transition occurs from the type of sedimentation typical for the lower course of the rivers under predominant marine influence to the climatic terraces of their middle course. Three marine transgressions are known to have occurred in the Netherlands Pleistocene: 1° the Eemian, of Riss-Würm Interglacial age which has long been generally recognized; 2° the Middle Pleistocene transgression, the Mindel-Riss Interglacial age of which has now been proved by the pollen diagrams; and 3° the Lower Pleistocene transgression (Icenian), the exact age of which is still unknown. Therefore the question arises whether this oldest transgression might be connected with the first interglacial. This point is discussed in chapter VI. Tesch (1934, 1937) argued that the middle part of the marine Lower Pleistocene represents the Günz Glacial stage on the ground that its molluscan fauna is distinctly arctic in character. Unfortunately the oldest marine deposits occur in only one of the borings investigated (Lemsterland). A few spectra immediately above this horizon show a temperate character. Though the horizon from which the spectra are derived may possibly be separated from the marine deposits by a stratigraphical hiatus, we must consider the possibility that the marine Lower Pleistocene horizon has not been deposited under such cold conditions as would appear from the conclusions of Tesch. The lowermost spectrum shows a small amount of Pterocarya pollen, suggesting, in accordance with our present state of knowledge, a Günz I/II Interstadial age rather than a Günz-Mindel interglacial age. However, if Pterocarya would still prove to have occurred in Günz-Mindel Interglacial time, the marine Lower Pleistocene could be ascribed to a Günz-Mindel Interglacial age. Incidentally, during this epoch, a high sea-level has been observed all over the world. The map (fig. 2) shows the location of all borings of more than 150 m deep, whereas some other important borings have been added in the southern part of the area. The following is an explanation of the figures shown on the map with each boring: if two figures are given the first means the depth to the top of the marine Lower Pleistocene in metres, whilst the second, in brackets, indicates the lowest level reached without penetrating this marine horizon. One figure in brackets indicates the greatest depth reached. In this case no marine Lower Pleistocene or older formations have been met with. A figure preceded by T means that the Tertiary has been reached at this depth without encountering marine Lower Pleistocene. The map shows that the Lower Pleistocene in a marine facies is restricted to the western part of the area. Since the base of the marine beds has nowhere been reached we do not know whether it is transgressive, as it is in the southern Netherlands. Comparing the figures of Zwartsluis, Vollenhove and Lemsterland with that of Spannenburg, there is a striking difference which suggests that the marine horizon has disappeared by erosion in the sub-soil of Spannenburg. The profile of Spannenburg gives no evidence of the relative age of the sediments present as compared with the marine deposits elswhere. It follows from the above that the Pleistocene of the area under investigation is not composed of a number of continuous horizons laid down one upon the other. Up to now it was assumed that coarse sediments represented cold or glacial periods, whereas finer deposits corresponded with wanner and intraglacial phases. However comparing the results of the Spannenburg and Lemsterland borings in this light, we are struck by the fact that the deposits of the Mindel Glacial phase at Lemsterland are composed of coarse grained sediments, whilst the equivalent interval at Spannenburg is fine grained. Both show, however, spectra indicating a cold climate. Furthermore at Bergumerheide a continuous coarse section is formed which shows a diagram containing successively warm, cold and again warm spectra, which correspond with the Günz-Mindel Interglacial, Mindel Glacial and Mindel-Riss Interglacial respectively. This demonstrates that grain size alone is not indicative of the climatic conditions prevailing during sedimentation. A number of borings have been investigated from a sedimentary penological viewpoint by Edelman (1933) and by Böhmers (1937). From a stratigraphical viewpoint, the B-Scheemda group is most interesting. It is characterized by high percentages of para-metamorphic minerals, the amount of which decreases from east to west. Edelman therefore looked for their origin in an easterly direction. Later he suggested that this group might have been deposited during the Mindel glaciation, when the courses of German rivers were deflected through the northern Netherlands by the icefront (Edelman, 1939). In the boring at Urk the most conspicuous B-Scheemda influence occurs between 66 and 99 m; in the Kippenburg boring between 66 and 92 m, whilst the nearest wells of Lemsterland and Spannenburg show spectra with a cold character at corresponding depths. In the Suameer boring the B-Scheemda influence is, according to Böhmers, most distinctly developed between 163 and 175 m. However, his mineralogical table (Böhmers, 1937, p. 62) shows the presence of two more horizons with rather high percentages of para-metamorphic minerals, viz. between 122 and 142 m and between 70 and 80 m. The lowest interval could not be investigated for its pollen content. The 122—142 m interval is unfortunately barren of pollen but the underlying and overlying beds contain a temperate flora. The uppermost zone (70—80 m) is apparently equivalent to the Mindel Glacial interval as established at nearby Bergumerheide. Thus it is obvious that the B-Scheemda group or a mineral aggregate comparatively rich in parametamorphic minerals fluctuated at different times and that these fluctuations might correspond to periodic deflections of the Germanic rivers into the northern part of the Netherlands. A discussion of the considerable clay deposits, which puzzled Lorié already half a century ago, is given in chapter VII. These deposits are known from a limited number of localities. In general all fine grained sediments between the boulder clay and the upper coarse horizon have been considered to form one unit, comprising the Riss I/II Interstadial as well as the early fluvioglacial deposits. The pollen diagrams strongly indicate that this cannot be the case. The clay deposits of Bantega and the upper clay of Spannenburg are undoubtedly of Mindel-Riss Interglacial age. Assen and Winschoten, however, represent another, probably glacial type, also by their content of reworked pollen. Of further localities known to have very thick clay beds Dronrijp is the most interesting. Here the clay is clearly deposited in a valley cut in the marine Mindel-Riss Interglacial series and therefore is apparently younger. As the boulder clay shows hardly any depression above the clay, the valley must have been filled up before the Riss ice reached the region (pl. XLVI). All localities with clay deposits thicker than 70 m, including occasionally fine sand beds, have been shown in black on the map (fig. 3). The two figures given indicate the top and bottom of the clay horizon, unless the second figure is in brackets, which means that at that depth the base has not been reached. Their distribution suggests that the localities belong to two valleys, one running from east to west and a second one from southeast to northwest. The thick clay deposits in the lower half of the Sneek boring correspond, from a pollen analytical point of view, to the clay deposits of Assen and Winschoten, which are of a post Mindel-Riss Interglacial age. The clay of Sneek however, is covered by the marine Mindel-Riss Interglacial beds and must therefore be older. This suggests that the thick clay beds of other localities might also have been deposited in two phases, although separating interglacial beds are lacking in most of the profiles. The clay itself is an unpromising medium for pollen analysis, but better results may be obtained from the border regions where intercalations of sands with peat might occur. The profiles (fig. 4) show a gradual thinning out of the coarse deposits in the direction of Assen. The profile at Drouwen, in the vicinity of Gasselte, yielded spectra with a cold character and with reworked pollen above (see plate XLV) as well as below (refer table, p. 290) the coarse horizon. Strong evidence therefore exists that thick clay beds were deposited twice in valleys of glacial age during the Lower and Middle Pleistocene. The older of the two deposits apparently correspond with the „Lauenburger Ton” from northwestern Germany (Schucht, 1912). Apart from the above discussed valley systems of Sneek and Dronrijp a still younger valley system is known to exist. It developed after the above mentioned two valley systems had been filled up and it still existed at the time the Riss ice arrived because we find a mantle of boulder clay deposited in the bottom as well as on the flanks of these valleys. Such valleys have been recognized below the present Overijselse Vecht and the Ems rivers. Essentially we have recognized three periods during which valleys were formed in Middle Pleistocene times. The first (Sneek) is pre Mindel-Riss Interglacial and therefore probably of Mindel Glacial age. The second (Dronrijp) and the third (Vecht-Ems) both occur between the Mindel-Riss Interglacial and the arrival of the Riss ice and therefore probably correspond with the two cold stages of the Riss Glacial. From this scheme it might be concluded that the Riss ice reached the Netherlands during the Riss II stage. Chapter VIII summarizes in Dutch the sequence of events during the Lower and Middle Pleistocene and we refer to table (p. 333) for a chronological representation of most of the above described events.

Description: For certain reasons I wished to train a young chimpanzee to choose from two similar boxes the one characterised by the ticking of a metronome inside it. My subject was a young male chimpanzee (Pan leucoprymnus Lesson), approximately three years old, Tommy by name. He was a good-natured chap, quite tame, and already for some years in captivity. When we knew each other a little better, he would welcome me every morning with a hearty “uhuh”, as soon as he heard my steps, and after the experiments of the day we would take leave by shaking hands as old friends. Tommy was rather lazy and not so playful as most young chimpanzees, but this quality made working with him easier and more regular. With a few exceptions it did not give much trouble to make 50—60 trials with him each day.

Description: The distribution of fresh-water fishes like that of other groups, has been widely utilized by zoogeographers, but with widely divergent acumen and success. At one extreme are those non-ichthyologists who have uncritically utilized for evidence certain groups whose distribution happens to support whatever theory they may be espousing. At the other extreme is the work of careful ichthyologists like DE BEAUFORT (1913) and REGAN (1922) whose thorough knowledge of the groups with which they are working demands the most careful consideration of their conclusions. However, no zoogeographer who utilizes the evidence of diverse groups can be familiar at first hand with all of them, and the difficulty facing such workers is that of seeking out the really dependable evidence in those groups he does not know well. Aside from the difficulty of selecting dependable authorities or systematic works, the zoogeographer desiring to use the evidence of fresh-water fishes has another troublesome matter to contend with. This is the differing tolerance of salt-water exhibited by different groups of fresh-water fishes. As one example, and one which has frequently troubled zoogeographers, we may mention the Galaxiidae, fresh-water fishes of Southern South America, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, whose distribution has been held by some to be evidence for continental drift or southern intercontinental land-bridges. Ichthyologists now know that these fishes are, as a group, salt-tolerant and possibly either anadromous or catadromous, and that they are not really strong evidence for continental connections simply because it seems possible that they may cross ocean barriers.

Description: In all snakes, the Boidae and Xenopeltidae excepted, only the right lung is well developed, while the left lung is rudimentary or absent (BUTLER, 1895). The right lung consists of an anterior alveolar part that is strongly vascularized, and of a posterior smooth-walled air-sac that is anangious. Between these two parts a transitional zone may be present, in which the wall of the lung shows a faint reticulate pattern, and which receives some very fine branches from the pulmonary vessels. In a number of snakes, among which the Viperidae, the situation becomes more complicated. In these snakes the membrane that connects the dorsal ends of the incomplete tracheal cartilages has become greatly expanded, and this dorsal wall has developed an alveolar structure. COPE (1894, p. 218) very aptly has named this the tracheal lung. When the tracheal lung has very strongly developed, it sometimes merges gradually into the right lung. In species with a rudimentary left lung, its opening into the trachea may be considered to mark the end of the trachea, and consequently also the beginning of the right lung. In other species a slight change in the structure of the alveoles may mark the boundary, but in a number of species it becomes a more or less arbitrary procedure to draw a boundary between the tracheal lung and the right lung. For the purpose of the present note it suffices, however, to consider as right lung that part of the respiratory tract that lies posterior to the middle of the heart. The development of the tracheal lung, and the relative size of the alveolar part of the right lung and of the air-sac vary according to genera and species.

Description: Tijdens het directoraat van Prof. Dr. J. E. W. IHLE is mij op het Zoölogisch Laboratorium steeds vrijheid gelaten om bij de studenten belangstelling te wekken voor hydrobiologisch onderzoek. Hoewel de Hoogleraar IHLE dit onderdeel der biologie zelf niet beoefende, verleende hij hiervoor met grote bereidwilligheid alle materiële steun, waartoe de bescheiden middelen van het laboratorium hem in staat stelden. Wij beschikken thans dan ook over een kern van literatuur op hydrobiologisch gebied, waartoe niet weinig heeft bijgedragen de aankoop van de gehele separatencollectie van wijlen Dr. H. C. REDEKE, waarvoor de steun van de Vereeniging „Het Natuur- en Geneeskundig Congres” werd verkregen. Onder auspiciën van het Zoölogisch Laboratorium werden in de jaren 1940 en 1941 cursussen georganiseerd op het gebied der hydrobiologie, waaraan respectievelijk 35 en 43 studenten deelnamen. Op deze cursussen werden door de volgende sprekers het woord gevoerd. In September 1940 door Dr. H. C REDEKE over Watertypen in Nederland, door Dr. B. HAVINGA over de Fauna van het IJselmeer, door Mej. A. P. C. DE VOS over Leeftijden van vissen en de biologie van de snoekbaars, door Dr. J. HEIMANS over Desmidiaceën, door Dr. G. BARENDRECHT over Waterinsecten, door Dr. C. O. van REGTEREN ALTENA over Mollusken, door Ir. K. W. H. LEEFLANG over het Waterleidingbedrijf, door den Heer A. VAN DER WERFF over Diatomeën, door Dr. Ir. T. Y. KINGMA BOLTJES over de biologische zelfreiniging van het water, door Mevr. N. L. WIBAUT-ISEBREE MOENS over zoutgehalten in Noord-Holland, door Prof. Dr. N. H. SWELLENGREBEL over Malariamuggen en door Mej. Dr. A. G. VORSTMAN over de Cyclus van het plankton gedurende een jaar aan de hand van het plankton in het Kinselmeer.

Description: Before the outbreak of the war with Japan the author had the intention to publish an extensive account on the occurrence of an aestuarine fishfauna in and in front of the large aestuarines and river-mouths so often found in India, Burma, Malaya, Thailand and Indo China and in the Greater Sunda Islands, Sumatra and Borneo, the rivers of the latter two islands being the special field of investigation. However as a consequence of the war all, thus far, unpublished notes and the greater part of the collections were lost as is the case with a most interesting sample of an aestuarine fishfauna from South New Guinea, where biologically the same conditions exist as in Sumatran and Bornean rivermouths. This last collection remained partly unpacked when war broke out and its still unassorted part disappeared. Only about 20 % of the total was found back in a more or less good condition.