ALBERT

Description: Xylopia surinamensis R. E. Fr. n. sp. — Ramuli novelli dense aureo-ferrugineo-sericei, vetustiores plus minus glabrescentes et cortice densissime lenticellifero punctato vestiti; internodia 0,5—1 cm longa. Foliorum petiolus sericeo-tomentosus, 5—7 mm longus; lamina rigida, anguste lanceolata, basi rotundato-truncata, apicem versus sensim longeque attenuata, summo apice obtusa, supra ab initio glaberrima sed densissime verruculoso-punctata, subtus dense argenteosericea, 8—11 cm longa et 2—2,5 cm lata; costa supra valde impressa glaberrima, subtus prominens teres; nervi secundarii cum venulis vix conspicui. Flores in inflorescentiis densis nonnulli; bracteae numerosae, late ovatae, 1,5—2 mm longae. Sepala fere omnino coalita, calycem cupuliformem semiglobosum argenteo-sericeum 2—3 mm altum et 5—6 mm latum formantia. Petala exteriora linearia obtusa, extus argenteo-sericea, circ. 13 mm longa et 2 mm lata, prope basin subito dilatata; interiora linearia, acuta, quadrangulari-prismatica, utrinque cinereo-puberula, 12 mm longa et 1—1,2 mm crassa. Staminum filamenta 0,2 mm longa; antherae circ. 1 mm longae, locellatae, connectivi discus glaber; stamina exteriora plus minus sterilia. Pistilla numerosa (fere 30); ovaria dense sericea, circ. 1 mm longa, styli 1 mm et stigmata 1 mm longa. (Fructus ignotus). Suriname: Boschreserve, Sectio O (florifera Junio 1944. — Wood Herbarium Surinam No. 139). Typus speciei in Herb. Utrecht).

Description: The subject of this study are soil samples taken in the “Makkumer Waard”, a wide expanse of low-lying land, which follows the Frisian coast. Stratigraphical and palynological investigations showed that in the beginning of the Atlanticum the area lay below the level of the sea, but that gradually the influence of the sea decreased and peat formation became possible. From the transition from marine deposits to Sphagnum peat (— 4,55 m to — 3,50 m) we must conclude that there has been a temporary standstill in the transgression, or even a regression, in the middle of the Atlanticum. Towards the end of the Atlantic period a sudden marine transgression followed, which deposited a layer of sand and clay on the Sphagnum peat (— 3,50 m to — 3,30 m). Shortly before the beginning of the Subboreal (which probably sets in at — 3,10 m) an important regression began and an Eriophorum peat was formed directly on the clay (—3,30 m to —3.00 m). It is probable that the peat formation went on in the Subatlanticum, but the younger Sphagnum peat is no longer present, for a third marine transgression, which lead to the formation of the “Zuiderzee”, washed away the peat and deposited the younger sea sand. The data obtained from the Makkum profile proved to agree very well with the results of other investigators who worked in the area round the North-sea.

Description: Some news was received on the revegetation of Krakatau, and the small new cone, Anak Krakatau (Krakatau Jr) as visited by a party in August 1951. Krakatau. The camp was made in the SE.corner of the island. In several places the old substratum has been traced, and in the basal layer of the ash covers, which attain sometimes 30 m thickness, remains are found of former woody share vegetation. Bases of tree trunks have partly been buried in their upright position. Some of these are charred, and have apparently been burned during the eruption; others are not charred, or have been charred only very superficially.

Description: A revision of the species, comprised in the section Eu-Protium of the genus Protium from the region from Asia to Australia incl., might., in view of the elaborate publications by H. J. Lam (The Burseraceae of the Malay Archipelago and Peninsula etc., Bull. Jard. bot. Buitenzorg, S. 3, 12, 1932, p. 318—324) and J. J. Swart (A Monograph of the genus Protium and some allied genera, Rec. Trav. bot. néerl., 39, 1942, p. 211—146), seem superfluous. However, an examination of the Clemens material from New-Guinea of 1939 and of the type material of the thusfar mysterious Bursera tonkinensis Guill. justified the publication of some notes thereon. To these some remarks concerning observations on other species have been added. I am much indebted to the directors of the following herbaria for the loan of material: the herbarium of the Botanisches Museum, Berlin; the herbarium of the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Mass. (A); the herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; the herbarium of the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris; the herbarium of the Botanical Institute, Wroclaw (BRSL); the “Rijksherbarium”, Leiden (L).

Description: Trees; leaves with caducous stipules; tertiary nervation descendant, but usually lax and irregular; inflorescences clustered, axillary, manyflorous; calyx with two rows of four lobes each; corolla 8-merous, each lobe with 2 dorsal segments as long as itself; stamens epipetalous, 8, in the same row as the 8 alternipetalous staminodes; ovary usually 8-celled; cells 1-ovuled, ovules anatropous, attached at the base; fruit a berry, 1—2-seeded; seeds with a small, circular, basal scar, in which the hilum and the micropyle are placed close to one another; albumen abundant; cotyledons thin, foliaceous; radicle long, cylindrical, exsert — About 80 species in all tropical countries, except in America. In 1925, Lam (Bull. Jard. Bot. Bzg, sér. 3, 7, 1925, 235—237) described of M. elengi three varieties, var. typica, var. parvifolia and var. brevifolia and a forma longepedunculata in the type-variety. As was pointed out already by him, the differences between the two new varieties are slight, if existing at all. As those between M. elengi and M. parvifolia were obscured by many intermediate stages Lam was forced to consider the latter a variety of the former. Studying the more abundant material at our disposal it becomes clear that M. elengi is an extremely variable species in which it is impossible to distinguish varieties or forms. However, it must be pointed out that in the western parts of the Archipelago the leaves are large (up to 18 cm long), whereas they are decreasing in size towards the east, ending in the small leaves of the former species M. parvifolia (up to 6 cm long).

Description: Dr Van Ooststroom’s revision of the genus Argyreia in this series (Blumea V, 2, 1943, p. 352) did not include the collections from the Philippines and the Malay Peninsula. The species from the Philippines have been treated later on by Van Ooststroom (Blumea VI, 2, 1950, p. 337), whereas further additions were given in Blumea V, 3, 1945, p. 686 and Blumea VII, 1, 1952, p. 170. The representatives from the Malay Peninsula remained uninvestigated so far. The present paper should be considered an addition to Van Ooststroom’s papers. Consequently I have not repeated the lists of literature, descriptions, or remarks, unless important additions or changes were necessary.

Description: Thusfar the genus Dacryodes, as far as the Australasian area is concerned, was only known to occur in Western Malaysia (including the Philippines), with a centre in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Only one, out of 13, species is extending towards Cochin China in the West and the Philippines and N. Celebes in the East and another is known from the Malay Peninsula, British N. Borneo and the Philippines (cf. the senior writer’s paper in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, sér. III, Vol. XII, 1932, 334—366). Thus, Dacryodes was so far considered one of the many exclusively or preponderantly west-malaysian genera which do not or hardly cross Wallace’s line.

Description: Several samples of asphaltic marls from the Island of Buton have been analysed on diatoms. These samples after their treatment with solvents to eliminate the asphalt content appeared to consist of greyish or yellowish white marls. Despite the vigorous treatment with several solvents, by which the asphalt content was reduced to a small fraction of a percent, it proved to be impossible to prepare and wash the samples in the usual way. Only after heating them to about 800° F. for several hours, they could with much care be washed and cleaned adequately for final examination. The samples were labelled: Waisioe and Kaboengka.

Description: Miopliocene marls from the island of Buton yield a large marine foraminiferal fauna and some calcareous algae. Three-hundred and thirthy-three species have been identified. Two genera, twenty-three species and four varieties are described as new. The existence of mud-volcanoes in young neogene time is advocated.

Description: Last year Prof. Dr. I.M. van der Vlerk brought to my attention a collection of fossil remains of mammals dredged up in the East Schelde, province of Zeeland, Netherlands. The fossils were obtained by the Schot brothers of the ZZ 8 from the bottom of a through ca. 1500 m long, 200 m wide, and 35 to 45 m deep along the South coast of Schouwen island North of the Roggenplaat, and belong to the municipal museum of Zieriksee. The keeper, Mr. P. van Beveren, suggested that they be identified. Prof. Van der Vlerk kindly arranged a short visit to Zieriksee to enable me to select the specimens described in the present contribution, and Prof. Dr. B.G. Escher, director of the Geological Museum at Leiden, had the photographs taken at his institution by Mr. W.F. Tegelaar. This cooperation is here gratefully acknowledged. The fossils dredged from the East Schelde, as might be expected, are of various ages. Besides remains of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, bison, and red deer, there are teeth of bunomastodontids and of primitive elephantines. Very similar teeth from the East Schelde have already been described by the late Miss Dr. A. Schreuder (1944, 1945a, 1949), who identified them as Anancus arvernensis (Croizet et Jobert) and Archidiskodon planifrons (Falconer et Cautley) respectively. The fossils thus identified are stained jet black, and for this reason have been referred to as “black fossils” in the Dutch literature (Van der Vlerk, 1938, p. 10; Van der Vlerk and Florschütz, 1950, p. 63; Van der Vlerk, 1951, p. 119/120; 1952, pp. 156, 157). They are taken to represent a fauna somewhat older than that of Tegelen in Limburg province (= Upper Villafranchian: Schreuder, 1945b), and have been correlated with the Red Crags of England, Upper Pliocene or Lower Pleistocene according to one’s own favoured definition of the Plio-Pleistocene boundary.

Description: Seit 1949 ist das Geologisch-Mineralogische Institut der Reichsuniversität Leiden, (und zwar dessen Mineralogisch-Petrographische Abteilung, Leitung Prof. Dr. E. Niggli) mit Untersuchungen am Granitmassiv von Sept-Laux (Belledonne-Massiv, Frankreich) beschäftigt. Diese haben als Ziel, einen kleinen Beitrag zu liefern zum Versuche der Lösung eines der wichtigsten petrogenetischen Probleme, nämlich der Frage nach der Entstehung von granitischen Gesteinen und Massiven. Zu diesem Zwecke wurde ein Teil des zentralen Granites des Belledonnemassivs im Masstabe 1:10000 kartiert, wobei besonders interessante Stellen mit dem Messtisch im Masstabe 1:100 bis 1:1000 aufgenommen wurden. Mehr als 800 Handstücke wurden gesammelt und untersucht; von 100 Handstücken wurden chemische Analysen angefertigt, um ein so genau mögliches Bild der petrochemisehen Verhältnisse zu erlangen. Tausende von Kluftmessungen wurden ausgeführt und an zahlreichen Proben gefügekundliche Untersuchungen angestellt. Ueber diese und andere Terrainund Laboratoriumsarbeiten wird später von meinen Mitarbeitern ausführlich berichtet werden. In der vorliegenden ersten Mitteilung soil nur ein Detailproblem behandelt werden, nämlich die Anwendung stereometrischer Kriteria bei der Lösung der Frage, wie die Aplit- bis Pegmatitgänge des Sept-Laux-Gebietes entstanden sind. Die Wahl des Arbeitsgebietes für unsere Granit-untersuchungen fiel aus den folgenden Gründen auf die hochalpine Region von Sept-Laux (± 2000 m über Meer) : die Aufschlüsse sind im allgemeinen hervorragend und ausgedehnt, da Vegetation kaum stört; ferner sind die Gesteine im allgemeinen sehr frisch und wenig verwittert. Als Nachteil muss in Kauf genommen werden, dass die alpine Gebirgsbildung nicht spurlos an den Gesteinen vorbeigegangen ist. Der wohl herzynische Granit von Sept-Laux zeigt mikro- und makroskopisch zahlreiche Erscheinungen der spateren alpinen Dislokations-metamorphose und Orogenese. Immerhin ist zu bemerken, dass die alpine Gesteinsumwandlung hier bedeutend geringere Ausmasse als in den schweizerischen Zentralmassiven annahm.

Description: One of the specimens dealt with in the present paper has been described in previous papers, in which it appeared under three different names, all of which for different reasons eventually proved to be erroneous. The present identification as Sacculina cordata Shiino at last seems to be definite. The second specimen, as the first from the material collected by the Siboga Expedition, belongs to the species Sacculina papposa V. K. & B., of which up till now the type specimen only was known; the parasite dealt with here is interesting because the excrescences of its external cuticle are of a structure slightly different from that of the corresponding parts in the type; moreover, in this specimen retinacula were found, yielding an additional character for the definition of the species. The remainder of the material dealt with here proved to belong to a new species, characterized in the first place by the peculiar excrescences of the external cuticle.

Description: The data on which this study is based, were gathered during a scientific expedition which lasted from September 1948 to May 1949. The author had accepted an invitation to join Prof. J. LANJOUW who on this expedition was entrusted with the botanical part of the investigations. They worked in close contact with the other staff members, the zoologists Dr D. C. GEIJSKES and P. H. CREUTZBERG, and the geo-morphologists Prof. J. P. BAKKER and Dr A. BEOUWER. Especially the cooperation with the latter group proved to be of prime importance for the study of the vegetation. For more general Information with regard to the aims and scope of this expedition the reader is referred to the preliminary report (26).

Description: The genus Callisthene is found in the Extra Amazonian part of the Brazilian mainland, particularly in the zone of the campos and in the adjacent parts of Bolivia. The genus comprises eight species, as defined in this paper. It shows its greatest diversity on the central plateau of the Brazilian state of Minas Geraes. Most of the species are typical trees of the campos of the interior Brazilian plateau, which is characterized by a climate with a severe dry season. The genus was first described by MARTIUS in 1824. He mentioned all important characters and placed it in the Vochysiaceae, a family which had been described only four years earlier by A. DE ST. HILAIRE (1820). It was named after Callisthenes (360—327 B.C.), the Greek naturalist and historian of Alexander the Great, relative and pupil of Aristotle. MARTIUS (l.c.) described 3 species, WARMING (1875 in the “Flora Brasiliensis”) 7, while BRIQUET (1919) added several others, only one of which — in the opinion of the present author — can stand after careful studies of the complete type material.

Description: Protium Bangii Swart n. sp. Arbor. Ramuli satis robusti teretes striati fuscescentes lenticellis ellipticis sparsis. Folia 2-juga circ. 15 cm longa ubique glabra juvenilia pilis nonnullis munita, petiolis semiteretibus basi subincrassatis 3,5 cm longis, interjugis teretibus supra carinatis 2 cm longis, petiolulis foliolorum lateralium semiteretibus subalatis 2—3 mm longis sed terminalibus teretibus carinatis 15 mm longis, foliolis elliptico-oblongis subovatis apicem versus valde angustatis 8 cm longis 3,75 cm latis lateralibus leviter asymmetricis basalibus in super brevioribus, omnibus apicem versus gradatim acuminatis, acumine attenuato 7,5 mm longo 5 mm lato, basi late cuneata vel rotundata, margine integro, pergamentaceis laevibus, nervis secundariis utrinque circ. 12 apicem versus prope marginem conjunctis, nervis primariis supra sulcatis infra cum sec. et tert. prominentibus. Inflorescentiae axillares pauciramosae floribus satis numerosis compositae, rhachibus teretibus sparse puberulis, pedunculis usque ad 9 cm longis, ramulis sec. ad 3 cm, tert. ad 0,5 cm longis. Pedicelli teretes 0,5—1 mm longi cum bracteis bracteolisque late triangularibus 0,5 mm longis calycibusque sparse puberuli. Flores 5-meri 3 mm longi. Calyx late cupuliformis circ. 1 mm alta, lobis triangularibus obtusis tubo aequilongis. Petala oblongo-ovata inflexo-apiculata glabra. Stamina 10, filamentis subulatis 2 mm longis, antheris oblongis 0,5 mm longis. Discus annularis 10-lobis 0,5 mm altus glaber. Pistillum glabrum 1,5 mm altum basi disco cinctum ex ovario ovoideo circ. 1 mm alto, stylo brevissimo et stigmate 5-lobo compositum. Typus: Bang 2370 in U.S. Nat. Herb. 1380537. Distributio: Bolivia, dept. La Paz, flum. Yungas, Coroico, Bang 2370 (Aug. 1894, flor.).

Description: Mr A.G.L. Adelbert has finished his work on the Labiatae of Java. Dr R.C. Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr., Leyden, continued his work on Malaysian Rubiaceae and finished the genera Bikkia, Lerchea, Argostemma, Steenisia; he stated with the genus Ophiorrhiza.

Description: In addition to W.H. Brown’s works Dr Quisumbing has completed our knowledge of useful Philippine plants by the compilation of a big volume which contains a mine of information of over 1000 different species. Preceded by an introduction, the systematic sequence is adopted for families, genera and species. Each species is provided with a list of its synonyms, local names, a popular description, and a digestion of its phytochemical and medicinal literature. There is an appendix on miscellaneous economic algae, one on edible and poisonous fungi, one on Philippine plants reported to cause hayfever or asthma, some fungi causing skin disease, a list of cyanophoric plants, a bibliography of 630 articles and books, and several indices. This book is of great use to all students of Malaysian botany. Dr Quisumbing who wrote it mostly before the war is to be congratulated with its excellent production.

Description: Mr A.G.L. Adelbert arrived in Holland on short leave November 10, 1951. Prof. Dr K.B. Boedijn, of the Agricultural Faculty at Bogor, Java, was on leave in Holland in 1951. He returned to Bogor November 1951.

Description: Frutex volubilis ramulis teretibus, costatis, glabris, inferne nudis cicatricosis, superne dense foliosis, 4—5 mm crassis. Folia chartacea, alterna (internodiis 2—3 mm longis), brevissime petiolata, lanceolata, apice acuta mucronulataque, basi cuneata, margine integerrima vel subdentata, utrinque glaberrima, subtus nervo mediano prominenti, venis secundariis argute reticularis; petiolo 2—5 mm longo, lamina 7—10 cm longa, 2—2.5 cm lata. Capitula discoidea, multa, in apice ramulorum densissime corymbosa; pedicellis glabris, ca. 5 mm longis. Involucrum turbinatum, 12—15 mm longum, 5 mm crassum; bracteis papyraceis, glaberrimis, ca. 15, externis ovatis, acutis, margine subciliatis, 3—5 mm longis, 2—2.3 mm latis; internis lanceolatis, acutis, usque 15 mm longis, 1.8 mm latis. Receptaculum convexum. Flores 5, isomorphi, hermaphroditi, corolla tubulosa 10 mm longa, superne Pentalobata; lobulis lanceolatis ca. 4 mm longis. Achaenia (valde inmatura), leviter compressa, minute glandulosa. Pappus biseriatus, ochraceus.

Description: After the senior writer, together with W. W. Varossieau, had published a revision of this monogeneric family (Blumea III, 1938—’39 and IV, 1941), some more material has been examined by us and, moreover, some new species have been described. Thanks to the courtesy of Prof. F. Gagnepain of Paris, and the Director of the Musee d’Histoire Naturelle, Phanérogamic, we had the opportunity to examine the type specimens of Gagnepain's new species from Indo-China, All with all we felt that a new key and a brief enumeration of the species with the main literature, their synonyms and distribution, might be useful. SARCOSPERMATACEAE H. J. Lam, Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenz., sér. III, 7, 1925, 248; Blumea III, 1, 1938, 184.

Description: In addition to my papers on the genus Argyreia in Malaysia I can here give a few descriptions of new species, mainly from Sumatra and Borneo, and some critical notes on others. A revision of the species of Malaysia as a whole, including those of the Malay Peninsula and the Philippine Islands will be published in the near future in Flora Malesiana.

Description: The present paper, which gives some additions to H. J. Lam, The Burseraceae of the Malay Archipelago and Peninsula (Bull. Jard. hot. Buitenzorg, S. 3, vol. 12, 1932, p. 420), is based on material, belonging to the herbaria of Leiden and Bogor. The genus is restricted to the following 2 Malaysian species, one of which is new to science.

Description: In January 1949 Professor H. J. Lam, director of the Rijksherbarium, Leyden, on his way to the 7th Pacific Science Congress in New Zealand, spending some time in Fiji, was shown by Mr B. E. V. Parham, Department of Agriculture, Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, a slender tree, cultivated in the Agricultural Experimental Garden Naduruloulou. The tree was unidentified and of unknown origin. Some flowering material was collected and at our request Mr Parham was good enough to send some ripe fruits in liquid for an investigation I was entrusted with. Additional material was studied from the herbaria at Brisbane, Kew, Leiden, Melbourne and Paris. It is my pleasant duty to tender my best thanks to the directors of these institutes for the loan of this valuable material, among which the type.

Description: In the East of Holland, in the Province of Overijssel, there is a region that, from the point of view of landscape, is one of the most beautiful and the most interesting we know in this country: Twente. Already in glancing through this publication it will be clear that this region played an important part in our research. Apart from the fact that our personal predilection for Twente undoubtedly was of some influence, this choice was equally directed by the geological wealth of that region coupled to the fact that here, as a consequence of numerous recent excavations, the deposits were excellently exposed. Of course, our research equally extended over other provinces but, whereas there a stress was laid on pollenanalytical research, geological research was less intensive than — for the reasons explained above — in Twente. Finally the research carried out near Usselo together with that carried out in S.W. Noord-Brabant, yielded together the solution for the dating of part of the coversands.

Description: H. Buttgenbach beschrieb im Jahre 1947 eine neues, H2O-haltiges Zinnmineral aus dem Belgisch-Kongo unter dem Namen „Varlamoffit”. In den Arbeiten von N. Varlamoff (1948a, 1948b, 1949) findet man Angaben über das Vorkommen und die paragenetischen Verhältnisse. H. Buttgenbach (1950) stellt fest, dass der von R. Herzenberg (1946) beschriebene Souxit vermutlich mit Varlamoffit identisch sei; da aber letzterer genauer beschrieben und untersucht ist, schlägt er vor, das Mineral weiterhin Varlamoffit zu nennen. S. Gastellier (1950) gibt die Resultate chemiseher Untersuchungen bekannt und A. Russell und E. A. Vincent (1952) schliesslich publizierten röntgenographische Untersuchungen und stellten fest, dass Varlamoffit auch in den Zinnerzgängen von Cornwall (England) vorkommt. Bevor wir zu den Resultaten unserer eigenen Untersuchungen übergehen wollen, sei im Nachstehenden eine kurze Uebersicht über die in den genannten Publikationen mitgeteilten Befunde gegeben.

Description: Scientific research concerning growth inhibitors, which has been pursued for several decades already, dealt mainly with the effect of these substances on the germination process. WIESNER (1894) demonstrated the presence of a growth inhibitor in the slime of the mistletoe (Viscum album) which prevented the germination of a great variety of seeds. OPPENHEIMER (1922) supplemented the analysis by placing seeds on the pulp of ripe tomatoes and he observed a strong inhibitive effect as a result of this treatment. In addition, however, he found that the inhibiting substance is thermolabile and insoluble in ether or alcohol. REINHARD (1933) corroborated Oppenheimer’s results for the most part. According to this author, however, the inhibiting agent in tomato juice is thermostabile, and it is not destroyed by boiling, neiher by neutralisation or by diluting the juice 50 times. In other fleshy fruits such as apples, pears and quinces KÖCKEMANN (1934) detected inhibiting substances capable of preventing the germination of Lepidium seeds. These substances were reported to be sensitive to peroxide and to alkali, thermostabile and soluble in water and in ether, but insoluble in petroleum ether. On the other hand, the inhibiting agent extracted by LEHMANN (1937) from the exocarp if buckwheat is thermolabile. In Helianthus annuus and Avena sativa, finally, RUGE (1939) demonstrated the presence of an inhibitor that reduces the speed of germination to a considerable extent. FRÖSCHEL’S investigations on Trifolium and Beta will be dealt with in 4. This survey is not quite exhaustive, but clearly demonstrates that the inhibiting agent should not be regarded as a definite, well-defined chemical substance which is always the same in every individual case, but as a group of substances with analogous activities but most probably with widely divergent physical and chemical properties. Following KÖCKEMANN (1934) we can classify the inhibiting substances into two groups, as follows : 1. inhibiting substances in the testa or in the seed, and 2. inhibiting substances in the mesocarp of pulpy fruits.

Description: Up till now the lower deposits of peat (in Dutch: veen-op-groterediepte = peat at greater depth) have been investigated in the Netherlands mainly in the Western part of the country, viz. in the provinces of Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and Zeeland. The analyses have shown that the development of this, now comparatively well known peat layer must have begun either in the second half of the boreal period or else in the beginning of the atlantic one, and that it must have come to an end in the first half of the latter. Among the earlier investigators the botanist Mrs VERNEER-LOUMAN and some geologists had arrived at the conclusion that the sudden transgression of the North sea which made an end to the formation of peat, took place in the boreal period, and hat the whole lower deposit of peat, therefore, was of boreal age (lit. 7). This opinion, however, was sufficiently disproved by FLORSCHÜTZ, and all subsequent analyses have confirmed the view that the peat formation must have stopped early in the atlantic period (lit. 2, 3, 4). The same conclusion was arrived at by GODWIN as a result of his investigations of the lower peat found in SE England (lit. 5, 6) and by several German investigators as a result of their analyses of the lower peat, found in NW Germany. Only one analyses of the lower peat in the province of Friesland, in the Northern part of the Netherlands, has sofar been published. The geologist VAN ANDEL found near Kiesterzijl, at a depth of only 3.50 m a thin layer of peat. He identified it with the lower peat from the W part of the Netherlands which occurs several meters deeper. His two diagrams show a boreal age for the basal layers and an atlantic age for the top ones and they confirm therefore the conclusions,obtained in the W part of the country (lit. 1).

Description: Flora of Okinawa, Riukius. Dr E.H. Walker made a collecting trip in the Riukiu islands; associated with him were the Japanese botanists S. Tawada, T. Amano and S. Sonohara. This collection was obtained to help substantiate a MS-Flora of Okinawa prepared by these Okinawan botanists. Duplicate specimens of the collection will be distributed by the Smithsonian Institution of Washington. Address lists of botanists. In the Yearbook 1950-1951 of the American Botanical Society, Misc. Per. Publ. 138, 1951, an address list of American botanists has been published.

Description: Among the main events for the Foundation in 1951 was the completion of the Trustees which now consist of: Prof. Ir Kusnoto, Bogor, president Prof. Dr H.J. Lam, Leyden, 1st deputy president Dr M.A. Donk, Bogor, 2nd deputy president Prof. Dr E.D. Merrill, Jamaica Plain (Mass.), U.S.A., member Prof. Dr C. Skottsberg, Stockholm, member Drs C.A.C.M. van Oppen, Djakarta, member The Trustees of Leyden University officially recognized the Foundation to work in the Rijksherbarium at Leyden. In addition to the Constitution a draft has been prepared of the By-Laws. In December 1951 the third part of volume four of Flora Malesiana was issued.

Description: Alphen de Veer, E.J. & M. Sudiro: Observations on the attack of Zeusera coffeae Nietn. on Balsa (Tectona 41, 1951, 137-8, photos). Borers in Ochroma lagopus at Bogor.

Description: Trees with leaves crowded at tip of thick branchlets; stipules subulate or narrowly deltoid, caducous; leaves, obovate or obovate-oblong, tertiary nerves ascending near the midrib, transverse near the margins of the leaf; flowers crowded at tips of branchlets, forming a pseudo-terminal, many-florous inflorescence; calyx with two whorls of two lobes each; corolla exsert, tube solid, pubescent without at apex, petals 8, imbricate; stamens 9—40, inserted in one or two rows in the throat; style subulate, exsert, glabrous; ovary glabrous, 3—8-celled, cells 1-ovuled, ovules attached at the apex of the central axis; sometimes an indistinct annular disc present; fruit large, often edible, crowned by the persistent style; fruit usually 1-seeded; seed ovoid with large to very large scar and apical hilum; testa thick, crustaceous; albumen none or membranous, if present especially around the radicle; cotyledons fleshy; radicle inferior, not exsert — 11 species distributed from the Moluccas to the Samoa and Tonga Islands. The last revision of this genus was given by Lam in 1942. After a small but important publication of White (J. Arn. Arb. 31, 1, 1950, 104) and the investigation of some new collections it seemed appropriate to give a concise revision of this genus in preparation for the “Flora Malesiana”. Some new species are described and of some old ones more details are given. The publications of Lam are abbreviated as follows: 1925 = The Sapotaceae, etc. of the Dutch East Indies, Bull. Jard. Bot. Bzg, sér. 3, 7, 1925, 112. Lam 1927 = Further studies etc., Bull. Jard. Bot. Bzg, sér. 3, 8, 1927, 381. Lam 1932 = Sapotaceae, in Nova Guinea 14, 4, 1932, 554. Lam 1942 = A tentative list of wild Pacific Sap. etc., Blumea 5, I, 1942, 36.

Description: La stratification des roches cristallines (d'âge antéstéphanien) des massifs centraux des Alpes est en général à peu près parallèle à la schistosité. Également les intrusions granitiques y sont plus ou moins concordantes. Cependant les recherches sous la direction du Professeur E. Niggli de Leiden ont démontré que le contact est du massif granitique des Sept-Laux (Massif de Belledonne s. 1.) est concordant seulement en grandes lignes avec la schistosité, tandis qu'il est parfois nettement discordant en détail (voir la publication dans un des numéros suivants de ce périodique).

Description: We are very sorry to learn that Mr J.M. Black, the father of South Australian botany, passed away suddenly but in full harness after a short illness in his 97th year, medio December 1951. Dr Black was born in Wigtown, Scotland, and received his early education there, finishing in Dresden, Germany. He arrived in South Australia in 1877 and farmed for 5 years. Between 1883 and 1902 he held varied and finally important positions on the staff of ”Hansard”, ”The Register”, and ”The Advertiser”. Having achieved the highest position possible in this field he retired to devote full time leisure to the study of native and naturalised plants growing in S. Australia. He achieved considerable fame for by 1929 he had completed his four part work ”Flora of South Australia”, one of the most critical Floras of that continent. In 1930 he attended the International Botanical Congress and the Linnean Society made him an associate. During subsequent years he was awarded many honours by various Australian scientific associations some of which include the Sir Joseph Vercoe Medal, Mueller Medal, Natural History Medallion, and the Clarke Memorial Medal. He was awarded an M.B.E. in 1942. In 1927 he was appointed honorary lecturer in systematic botany at the University of Adelaide. At the age of 80 he produced part one of the 2nd edition of his Flora, part two coming out in 1948.

Description: With reference to and in continuation of our elaborate announcement in Blumea VI, nr. 2, 1950, p. 544—545, it is a pleasure to report now the publication of Vol. I, entitled: Malaysian plant collectors and collections, being a cyclopaedia of botanical exploration in Malaysia and a guide to the concerned literature up to the year 1950 by Mrs. M. J. van Steenis—Kruseman (CLII + 639 pp., 3 maps and about 220 illustrations). The General Part (roman page numbers) comprises introductory paragraphs (aim of work, interesting data and hints on labeling, lists of illustrations and literature of use to collectors and investigators, terminology of altitudinal zones, and the use of vernacular names) as well as chapters on the technique of botanical exploration and collecting, on the phytogeographical delimitation and subdivision of Malaysia, on the collections made in the area concerned (arranged both chronologically and geographically, with 1 map), statistics of collections and desiderata for further exploration with 2 maps), sources consulted for the data mentioned (literature and herbaria), and samples of handwritings of 70 collectors and botanists.

Description: The present paper is an extension of my revision of the Malaysian species of the genus Dillenia L. (Wormia Rottb. included) inserted in the revision of the Dilleniaceae in the Flora Malesiana ser. I, vol. 4, part 3, pp. 141—174, published in December 1951. A critical revision of the whole genus has never been published before; the unfortunate result of this has been that the delimitation of Dillenia and Wormia, usually as distinct genera, has been based on different characters by various authors. The extension of the revision for the Flora Malesiana so as to include the extra-malaysian species enabled me to study a number of species, the knowledge of which certainly confirmed me in my idea that the characters on which Dillenia and Wormia had been separated before are certainly not the primary characters, to be used in the taxonomic treatment of the genus. All specimens and literature mentioned in this work have been examined by me, unless indicated otherwise; excepted are the specimens of the U.S. National Herbarium., of which I have only examined those collections, of which no duplicates were available from other herbaria. Particulars, not to be taken from the herbarium specimens themselves, such as habit, height, diameter, colour, etc., have been taken from the collectors’ notes and, as far as reliable, from the literature, and are inserted in the descriptions; if there are contradictory data, they are discussed under the Notes.

Description: Among a small collection of Compositae collected in Sumbawa by R. Blomberg, 1941, a new Vernonia was detected. The description follows here. Vernonia sumbavensis Koster, nov. spec. — sectio Claotrachelus (Zoll. et Mor.) Koster (Fig. 1 a—e) — Herba, 60 cm alta, e basi caules plures virgatos, subteretes, striatos, incane villoso-tomentosos, 2—4 mm crassos emittens; internodiis ½2–3 cm longis. Radix ramosa, crassa. Folia alterna, sessilia, numerosa, linearia vel lineario-lanceolata, margine parce revoluta, repande et breviter dentata vel subintegra, apice acuta, utrinque gradatim longe attenuata, pinninervia, nervo mediano et nervis lateralibus subtus prominentibus, supra obscura scabra, leviter incano-tomentosa vel subglabra, subtus incane tomentosa, chartacea, 3½—7½ cm longa, 3—7 mm lata, superiora minora; saepe ramis brevissimis in axillis foliorum folia parva ferentes. Inflorescentia terminalis, corymbosa, 5—12 cm lata; capitula numerosa, pedunculata, campanulata, 25—35-flora, circa 1 cm longa, circa 8 mm crassa, pedunculis incane villoso-tomentosis, 2—10 mm longis, interdum apice vel ad basin bractea lineari minuta praedita; involucrum campanulatum, circa 8 mm longum, squamis 5—6-seriatis, externe gradatim brevioribus, dense incane pubescentibus, interioribus anguste oblongis, interdum purpurascentibus, apice breviter acicularibus, exterioribus squarrosis, lanceolatis, apice acicularibus; receptaculum nudum, alveolatum, glabrum, alveolis cupuliformibus; flores bisexuales, corolla infundibuliformis, 8— 10 mm longis, lobis 5, oblongo-triangularibus, apice subacutis, parce hirsutis; antherae ad basin sagittatae, apice obtusae; styli rami longi, acuti, hirsuti; achenium turbinatum, 5—6-amgulatum, dense glandulosum, circa 1½ mm longum; pappus biseriatus, setaceus, setis albis, interioribus caducis, scabris, 5—8 mm longis, exterioribus brevissimis, applanatis.

Description: For more than thirty years the well-known Swedish palynologist Dr G. Erdtman has consistently gathered facts about pollen types. Pollen-analysis led him, naturally, and necessarily, to pollen morphology, so as to lay a safe basis for further palaeobotanical work. It will be a surprise to many a reader of the above book that the term, “palynology”, already very familiar among botanists, was only coined in 1944. This term, mostly but apparently erroneously applied in a palaeobotanical sense only, just means “pollen science” and is therefore more or less synonymous to pollen (external) morphology 8.1.

Description: Ever since his first experience with the remarkable “Upper Oligocene” molluscan fauna of the Isle of Buton, the present writer has endeavoured to find more convincing evidence for its age. One of the most tempting problems was why this fauna showed so few relationships to other fossil faunas or to the living mollusca (See Martin, 1933, 1935; Beets, 1942, a, d). Since the only firm point emerging from a number of more or less confusing data was that the closest relationships existed with the Neogene fauna of the East Indies, the writer started extensive comparisons with a number of undescribed fossil collections from that region kept in Netherlands museums (Leyden Geological Museum, Delft Mining Institute, Utrecht Geological Institute). Meanwhile, additional fossils from Buton at first still believed to be of an Oligocene age were received in 1943 from both the “Rijkswegenbouw-Laboratorium”, The Hague, and the “Naturhistorisches Museum”, Basle, the latter fauna accompanied by notes concerning the locality compiled by its collector, Dr. F. Weber, Lugano. The comparisons mentioned above bore their first fruits late in 1943 and earljr in 1944 when species described from Buton were discovered in an undescribed collection of mollusca from East-Borneo which apparently indicated unusually deep water deposition. It soon became apparent that the “oligocene” mollusca from Buton too should be considered as a “deep water” fauna. This seemed to explain a number of puzzling facts which up till that time did not fit the picture of Tertiary faunal development in the East Indies. Moreover, it appeared that the age of the fauna most probably was to be considered as Mio-Pliocene. Following researches with the aid of the collections in the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam, the Leyden Museum of Natural History and the British Museum (Natural History) confirmed the above revised views.

Description: Corophium arenarium was first described by CRAWFORD in his excellent review of the entire genus, in 1937. In the description, the author expressed his doubt already whether it might be a distinct species or merely a variety of C. volutator. CRAWFORD’S observations on the variation of the number of spines on antenna II, segment 4 and 5, suggest that it is only a variety. CHEVAIS, 1937, does not give a definite opinion, whether he considers the species distinct from each other or not. For biometrical reasons, as well for reasons of variation observed by other authors, he suggests, however, that C. volutator and C. arenarium are only local races of one species.

Description: Corophium arenarium was first described by CRAWFORD in his excellent review of the entire genus, in 1937. In the description, the author expressed his doubt already whether it might be a distinct species or merely a variety of C. volutator. CRAWFORD\xe2\x80\x99S observations on the variation of the number of spines on antenna II, segment 4 and 5, suggest that it is only a variety.\nCHEVAIS, 1937, does not give a definite opinion, whether he considers the species distinct from each other or not. For biometrical reasons, as well for reasons of variation observed by other authors, he suggests, however, that C. volutator and C. arenarium are only local races of one species.

Description: One of the specimens dealt with in the present paper has been described in previous papers, in which it appeared under three different names, all of which for different reasons eventually proved to be erroneous. The present identification as Sacculina cordata Shiino at last seems to be definite. The second specimen, as the first from the material collected by the Siboga Expedition, belongs to the species Sacculina papposa V. K. & B., of which up till now the type specimen only was known; the parasite dealt with here is interesting because the excrescences of its external cuticle are of a structure slightly different from that of the corresponding parts in the type; moreover, in this specimen retinacula were found, yielding an additional character for the definition of the species. The remainder of the material dealt with here proved to belong to a new species, characterized in the first place by the peculiar excrescences of the external cuticle.

Description: Scientific research concerning growth inhibitors, which has been pursued for several decades already, dealt mainly with the effect of these substances on the germination process. WIESNER (1894) demonstrated the presence of a growth inhibitor in the slime of the mistletoe (Viscum album) which prevented the germination of a great variety of seeds. OPPENHEIMER (1922) supplemented the analysis by placing seeds on the pulp of ripe tomatoes and he observed a strong inhibitive effect as a result of this treatment. In addition, however, he found that the inhibiting substance is thermolabile and insoluble in ether or alcohol. REINHARD (1933) corroborated Oppenheimer\xe2\x80\x99s results for the most part. According to this author, however, the inhibiting agent in tomato juice is thermostabile, and it is not destroyed by boiling, neiher by neutralisation or by diluting the juice 50 times. In other fleshy fruits such as apples, pears and quinces K\xc3\x96CKEMANN (1934) detected inhibiting substances capable of preventing the germination of Lepidium seeds. These substances were reported to be sensitive to peroxide and to alkali, thermostabile and soluble in water and in ether, but insoluble in petroleum ether. On the other hand, the inhibiting agent extracted by LEHMANN (1937) from the exocarp if buckwheat is thermolabile. In Helianthus annuus and Avena sativa, finally, RUGE (1939) demonstrated the presence of an inhibitor that reduces the speed of germination to a considerable extent. FR\xc3\x96SCHEL\xe2\x80\x99S investigations on Trifolium and Beta will be dealt with in 4.\nThis survey is not quite exhaustive, but clearly demonstrates that the inhibiting agent should not be regarded as a definite, well-defined chemical substance which is always the same in every individual case, but as a group of substances with analogous activities but most probably with widely divergent physical and chemical properties. Following K\xc3\x96CKEMANN (1934) we can classify the inhibiting substances into two groups, as follows : 1. inhibiting substances in the testa or in the seed, and 2. inhibiting substances in the mesocarp of pulpy fruits.

Description: In January 1949 Professor H. J. Lam, director of the Rijksherbarium, Leyden, on his way to the 7th Pacific Science Congress in New Zealand, spending some time in Fiji, was shown by Mr B. E. V. Parham, Department of Agriculture, Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, a slender tree, cultivated in the Agricultural Experimental Garden Naduruloulou. The tree was unidentified and of unknown origin. Some flowering material was collected and at our request Mr Parham was good enough to send some ripe fruits in liquid for an investigation I was entrusted with.\nAdditional material was studied from the herbaria at Brisbane, Kew, Leiden, Melbourne and Paris. It is my pleasant duty to tender my best thanks to the directors of these institutes for the loan of this valuable material, among which the type.

Description: Up till now the lower deposits of peat (in Dutch: veen-op-groterediepte = peat at greater depth) have been investigated in the Netherlands mainly in the Western part of the country, viz. in the provinces of Noord-Holland, Zuid-Holland and Zeeland. The analyses have shown that the development of this, now comparatively well known peat layer must have begun either in the second half of the boreal period or else in the beginning of the atlantic one, and that it must have come to an end in the first half of the latter. Among the earlier investigators the botanist Mrs VERNEER-LOUMAN and some geologists had arrived at the conclusion that the sudden transgression of the North sea which made an end to the formation of peat, took place in the boreal period, and hat the whole lower deposit of peat, therefore, was of boreal age (lit. 7). This opinion, however, was sufficiently disproved by FLORSCH\xc3\x9cTZ, and all subsequent analyses have confirmed the view that the peat formation must have stopped early in the atlantic period (lit. 2, 3, 4). The same conclusion was arrived at by GODWIN as a result of his investigations of the lower peat found in SE England (lit. 5, 6) and by several German investigators as a result of their analyses of the lower peat, found in NW Germany.\nOnly one analyses of the lower peat in the province of Friesland, in the Northern part of the Netherlands, has sofar been published. The geologist VAN ANDEL found near Kiesterzijl, at a depth of only 3.50 m a thin layer of peat. He identified it with the lower peat from the W part of the Netherlands which occurs several meters deeper. His two diagrams show a boreal age for the basal layers and an atlantic age for the top ones and they confirm therefore the conclusions,obtained in the W part of the country (lit. 1).

Description: Flora of Okinawa, Riukius. Dr E.H. Walker made a collecting trip in the Riukiu islands; associated with him were the Japanese botanists S. Tawada, T. Amano and S. Sonohara. This collection was obtained to help substantiate a MS-Flora of Okinawa prepared by these Okinawan botanists. Duplicate specimens of the collection will be distributed by the Smithsonian Institution of Washington.\nAddress lists of botanists. In the Yearbook 1950-1951 of the American Botanical Society, Misc. Per. Publ. 138, 1951, an address list of American botanists has been published.

Description: Some news was received on the revegetation of Krakatau, and the small new cone, Anak Krakatau (Krakatau Jr) as visited by a party in August 1951.\nKrakatau. The camp was made in the SE.corner of the island. In several places the old substratum has been traced, and in the basal layer of the ash covers, which attain sometimes 30 m thickness, remains are found of former woody share vegetation. Bases of tree trunks have partly been buried in their upright position. Some of these are charred, and have apparently been burned during the eruption; others are not charred, or have been charred only very superficially.

Description: Among the main events for the Foundation in 1951 was the completion of the Trustees which now consist of: Prof. Ir Kusnoto, Bogor, president Prof. Dr H.J. Lam, Leyden, 1st deputy president Dr M.A. Donk, Bogor, 2nd deputy president Prof. Dr E.D. Merrill, Jamaica Plain (Mass.), U.S.A., member Prof. Dr C. Skottsberg, Stockholm, member Drs C.A.C.M. van Oppen, Djakarta, member The Trustees of Leyden University officially recognized the Foundation to work in the Rijksherbarium at Leyden. In addition to the Constitution a draft has been prepared of the By-Laws. In December 1951 the third part of volume four of Flora Malesiana was issued.

Description: We are very sorry to learn that Mr J.M. Black, the father of South Australian botany, passed away suddenly but in full harness after a short illness in his 97th year, medio December 1951. Dr Black was born in Wigtown, Scotland, and received his early education there, finishing in Dresden, Germany. He arrived in South Australia in 1877 and farmed for 5 years. Between 1883 and 1902 he held varied and finally important positions on the staff of \xe2\x80\x9dHansard\xe2\x80\x9d, \xe2\x80\x9dThe Register\xe2\x80\x9d, and \xe2\x80\x9dThe Advertiser\xe2\x80\x9d. Having achieved the highest position possible in this field he retired to devote full time leisure to the study of native and naturalised plants growing in S. Australia. He achieved considerable fame for by 1929 he had completed his four part work \xe2\x80\x9dFlora of South Australia\xe2\x80\x9d, one of the most critical Floras of that continent. In 1930 he attended the International Botanical Congress and the Linnean Society made him an associate. During subsequent years he was awarded many honours by various Australian scientific associations some of which include the Sir Joseph Vercoe Medal, Mueller Medal, Natural History Medallion, and the Clarke Memorial Medal. He was awarded an M.B.E. in 1942.\nIn 1927 he was appointed honorary lecturer in systematic botany at the University of Adelaide. At the age of 80 he produced part one of the 2nd edition of his Flora, part two coming out in 1948.

Description: Alphen de Veer, E.J. & M. Sudiro: Observations on the attack of Zeusera coffeae Nietn. on Balsa (Tectona 41, 1951, 137-8, photos).\nBorers in Ochroma lagopus at Bogor.

Description: After the senior writer, together with W. W. Varossieau, had published a revision of this monogeneric family (Blumea III, 1938\xe2\x80\x94\xe2\x80\x9939 and IV, 1941), some more material has been examined by us and, moreover, some new species have been described. Thanks to the courtesy of Prof. F. Gagnepain of Paris, and the Director of the Musee d\xe2\x80\x99Histoire Naturelle, Phan\xc3\xa9rogamic, we had the opportunity to examine the type specimens of Gagnepain\'s new species from Indo-China, All with all we felt that a new key and a brief enumeration of the species with the main literature, their synonyms and distribution, might be useful.\nSARCOSPERMATACEAE H. J. Lam, Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenz., s\xc3\xa9r. III, 7, 1925, 248; Blumea III, 1, 1938, 184.

Description: Trees with leaves crowded at tip of thick branchlets; stipules subulate or narrowly deltoid, caducous; leaves, obovate or obovate-oblong, tertiary nerves ascending near the midrib, transverse near the margins of the leaf; flowers crowded at tips of branchlets, forming a pseudo-terminal, many-florous inflorescence; calyx with two whorls of two lobes each; corolla exsert, tube solid, pubescent without at apex, petals 8, imbricate; stamens 9\xe2\x80\x9440, inserted in one or two rows in the throat; style subulate, exsert, glabrous; ovary glabrous, 3\xe2\x80\x948-celled, cells 1-ovuled, ovules attached at the apex of the central axis; sometimes an indistinct annular disc present; fruit large, often edible, crowned by the persistent style; fruit usually 1-seeded; seed ovoid with large to very large scar and apical hilum; testa thick, crustaceous; albumen none or membranous, if present especially around the radicle; cotyledons fleshy; radicle inferior, not exsert \xe2\x80\x94 11 species distributed from the Moluccas to the Samoa and Tonga Islands.\nThe last revision of this genus was given by Lam in 1942. After a small but important publication of White (J. Arn. Arb. 31, 1, 1950, 104) and the investigation of some new collections it seemed appropriate to give a concise revision of this genus in preparation for the \xe2\x80\x9cFlora Malesiana\xe2\x80\x9d. Some new species are described and of some old ones more details are given. The publications of Lam are abbreviated as follows: 1925 = The Sapotaceae, etc. of the Dutch East Indies, Bull. Jard. Bot. Bzg, s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 7, 1925, 112. Lam 1927 = Further studies etc., Bull. Jard. Bot. Bzg, s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 8, 1927, 381. Lam 1932 = Sapotaceae, in Nova Guinea 14, 4, 1932, 554. Lam 1942 = A tentative list of wild Pacific Sap. etc., Blumea 5, I, 1942, 36.

Description: Thusfar the genus Dacryodes, as far as the Australasian area is concerned, was only known to occur in Western Malaysia (including the Philippines), with a centre in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. Only one, out of 13, species is extending towards Cochin China in the West and the Philippines and N. Celebes in the East and another is known from the Malay Peninsula, British N. Borneo and the Philippines (cf. the senior writer\xe2\x80\x99s paper in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buitenzorg, s\xc3\xa9r. III, Vol. XII, 1932, 334\xe2\x80\x94366).\nThus, Dacryodes was so far considered one of the many exclusively or preponderantly west-malaysian genera which do not or hardly cross Wallace\xe2\x80\x99s line.

Description: In my paper on Parmeliaceae (in Blumea, vol. 6, 1947) some remarks have been made concerning the taxa below the rank of species (p. 3\xe2\x80\x944), one of them being the statement that I was to try to hold an intermediate course between those authors accepting multitudes of varieties and forms, and others abandoning them all. In the eyes of both I may have failed.\nIn the present paper I am going to alienate myself still farther from the former group of authors in reducing varieties to forms and doing away with many other forms. Although in a way this contradicts my inclination towards a meticulous classification in my former paper, it should be borne in mind that not all genera in lichenology can be treated alike. I still believe in varieties and forms \xe2\x80\x94 considering e.g. Parmelia physodes very good illustration \xe2\x80\x94 but on the other hand I am well aware now that in following Hillmann, whom I shall always gratefully remember for his kind help during the early days of my lichenological training, I have been decidedly all too punctilious.

Description: As early as 1939 I started a study of Papuan Nothofagus, and since 1948 I was entrusted with the elaboration of all the material my colleagues could lay hands on. This work was repeatedly interrupted on account of official duties. Pending the full account of the work in the Journal of the Arnold Arboretum I regret that it seems necessary to safeguard my conclusions as soon as possible.

Description: At the instigation of the Director of the \xe2\x80\x9cRijksherbarium\xe2\x80\x9d at Leiden, Prof. Dr H. J. Lam, who was puzzled by the problem of the delimitation of the genus Isonandra towards other genera, especially Palaquium, I assumed the task to compose a monograph of Isonandra. For this study material was kindly put at our disposal by the directors of several institutes, which enabled me to check up the type-specimens of all species, except that of Isonandra emarginata H. J. Lam, which failed to turn up even at Singapore and at Borneo. However, the Isonandra-character of this species is doubtful: it is more like Palaquium.\nIt is my pleasant duty to express my sincere thanks to the directors of the institutes mentioned underneath, for their valuable cooperation. Our thanks also due to Mr T. P. Nedungadi, M. A. of the Embassy of India at The Hague, whose kind intermediary enabled me to consult detailed maps of India and Ceylon.

Description: With reference to and in continuation of our elaborate announcement in Blumea VI, nr. 2, 1950, p. 544\xe2\x80\x94545, it is a pleasure to report now the publication of Vol. I, entitled: Malaysian plant collectors and collections, being a cyclopaedia of botanical exploration in Malaysia and a guide to the concerned literature up to the year 1950 by Mrs. M. J. van Steenis\xe2\x80\x94Kruseman (CLII + 639 pp., 3 maps and about 220 illustrations).\nThe General Part (roman page numbers) comprises introductory paragraphs (aim of work, interesting data and hints on labeling, lists of illustrations and literature of use to collectors and investigators, terminology of altitudinal zones, and the use of vernacular names) as well as chapters on the technique of botanical exploration and collecting, on the phytogeographical delimitation and subdivision of Malaysia, on the collections made in the area concerned (arranged both chronologically and geographically, with 1 map), statistics of collections and desiderata for further exploration with 2 maps), sources consulted for the data mentioned (literature and herbaria), and samples of handwritings of 70 collectors and botanists.

Description: The data on which this study is based, were gathered during a scientific expedition which lasted from September 1948 to May 1949.\nThe author had accepted an invitation to join Prof. J. LANJOUW who on this expedition was entrusted with the botanical part of the investigations. They worked in close contact with the other staff members, the zoologists Dr D. C. GEIJSKES and P. H. CREUTZBERG, and the geo-morphologists Prof. J. P. BAKKER and Dr A. BEOUWER. Especially the cooperation with the latter group proved to be of prime importance for the study of the vegetation. For more general Information with regard to the aims and scope of this expedition the reader is referred to the preliminary report (26).

Description: Hymenosporum flavum (Hook.) F. v. M. Fragm. 2 (1860) 77; Benth. Fl. Austr. 1 (1863) 114; Bailey, Queensl. Fl. part 1 (1899) 71; White & Francis, Proc. R. Soc. Queensl. 35 (1923) 63; Pritzel, in E. & P. Nat. Pfl. Fam. ed. 2, 18a (1930) 281; White, Contr. Arn. Arb. 4 (1933) 39. \xe2\x80\x94 Pittosporum flavum Hook. Bot. Mag. t. 4799 (1854).\nTERRITORY OF PAPUA. Isuarara, C. E. Carr 15625, tree ca 6 m tall, in secondary forest, ca 1200 m alt., 18.2.36, flowers yellow; Boridi, C. E. Carr 14869, tree ca 6 m tall, in secondary forest, ca 1200 m alt., 11.11.35, flowers cream tipped yellow, petals suffused pale rose-lilac inside at base of blade.

Description: In the East of Holland, in the Province of Overijssel, there is a region that, from the point of view of landscape, is one of the most beautiful and the most interesting we know in this country: Twente. Already in glancing through this publication it will be clear that this region played an important part in our research. Apart from the fact that our personal predilection for Twente undoubtedly was of some influence, this choice was equally directed by the geological wealth of that region coupled to the fact that here, as a consequence of numerous recent excavations, the deposits were excellently exposed. Of course, our research equally extended over other provinces but, whereas there a stress was laid on pollenanalytical research, geological research was less intensive than \xe2\x80\x94 for the reasons explained above \xe2\x80\x94 in Twente. Finally the research carried out near Usselo together with that carried out in S.W. Noord-Brabant, yielded together the solution for the dating of part of the coversands.

Description: Ever since his first experience with the remarkable \xe2\x80\x9cUpper Oligocene\xe2\x80\x9d molluscan fauna of the Isle of Buton, the present writer has endeavoured to find more convincing evidence for its age. One of the most tempting problems was why this fauna showed so few relationships to other fossil faunas or to the living mollusca (See Martin, 1933, 1935; Beets, 1942, a, d). Since the only firm point emerging from a number of more or less confusing data was that the closest relationships existed with the Neogene fauna of the East Indies, the writer started extensive comparisons with a number of undescribed fossil collections from that region kept in Netherlands museums (Leyden Geological Museum, Delft Mining Institute, Utrecht Geological Institute). Meanwhile, additional fossils from Buton at first still believed to be of an Oligocene age were received in 1943 from both the \xe2\x80\x9cRijkswegenbouw-Laboratorium\xe2\x80\x9d, The Hague, and the \xe2\x80\x9cNaturhistorisches Museum\xe2\x80\x9d, Basle, the latter fauna accompanied by notes concerning the locality compiled by its collector, Dr. F. Weber, Lugano.\nThe comparisons mentioned above bore their first fruits late in 1943 and earljr in 1944 when species described from Buton were discovered in an undescribed collection of mollusca from East-Borneo which apparently indicated unusually deep water deposition. It soon became apparent that the \xe2\x80\x9coligocene\xe2\x80\x9d mollusca from Buton too should be considered as a \xe2\x80\x9cdeep water\xe2\x80\x9d fauna. This seemed to explain a number of puzzling facts which up till that time did not fit the picture of Tertiary faunal development in the East Indies. Moreover, it appeared that the age of the fauna most probably was to be considered as Mio-Pliocene. Following researches with the aid of the collections in the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam, the Leyden Museum of Natural History and the British Museum (Natural History) confirmed the above revised views.

Description: Seit 1949 ist das Geologisch-Mineralogische Institut der Reichsuniversit\xc3\xa4t Leiden, (und zwar dessen Mineralogisch-Petrographische Abteilung, Leitung Prof. Dr. E. Niggli) mit Untersuchungen am Granitmassiv von Sept-Laux (Belledonne-Massiv, Frankreich) besch\xc3\xa4ftigt. Diese haben als Ziel, einen kleinen Beitrag zu liefern zum Versuche der L\xc3\xb6sung eines der wichtigsten petrogenetischen Probleme, n\xc3\xa4mlich der Frage nach der Entstehung von granitischen Gesteinen und Massiven. Zu diesem Zwecke wurde ein Teil des zentralen Granites des Belledonnemassivs im Masstabe 1:10000 kartiert, wobei besonders interessante Stellen mit dem Messtisch im Masstabe 1:100 bis 1:1000 aufgenommen wurden. Mehr als 800 Handst\xc3\xbccke wurden gesammelt und untersucht; von 100 Handst\xc3\xbccken wurden chemische Analysen angefertigt, um ein so genau m\xc3\xb6gliches Bild der petrochemisehen Verh\xc3\xa4ltnisse zu erlangen. Tausende von Kluftmessungen wurden ausgef\xc3\xbchrt und an zahlreichen Proben gef\xc3\xbcgekundliche Untersuchungen angestellt. Ueber diese und andere Terrainund Laboratoriumsarbeiten wird sp\xc3\xa4ter von meinen Mitarbeitern ausf\xc3\xbchrlich berichtet werden. In der vorliegenden ersten Mitteilung soil nur ein Detailproblem behandelt werden, n\xc3\xa4mlich die Anwendung stereometrischer Kriteria bei der L\xc3\xb6sung der Frage, wie die Aplit- bis Pegmatitg\xc3\xa4nge des Sept-Laux-Gebietes entstanden sind.\nDie Wahl des Arbeitsgebietes f\xc3\xbcr unsere Granit-untersuchungen fiel aus den folgenden Gr\xc3\xbcnden auf die hochalpine Region von Sept-Laux (\xc2\xb1 2000 m \xc3\xbcber Meer) : die Aufschl\xc3\xbcsse sind im allgemeinen hervorragend und ausgedehnt, da Vegetation kaum st\xc3\xb6rt; ferner sind die Gesteine im allgemeinen sehr frisch und wenig verwittert. Als Nachteil muss in Kauf genommen werden, dass die alpine Gebirgsbildung nicht spurlos an den Gesteinen vorbeigegangen ist. Der wohl herzynische Granit von Sept-Laux zeigt mikro- und makroskopisch zahlreiche Erscheinungen der spateren alpinen Dislokations-metamorphose und Orogenese. Immerhin ist zu bemerken, dass die alpine Gesteinsumwandlung hier bedeutend geringere Ausmasse als in den schweizerischen Zentralmassiven annahm.

Description: Last year Prof. Dr. I.M. van der Vlerk brought to my attention a collection of fossil remains of mammals dredged up in the East Schelde, province of Zeeland, Netherlands. The fossils were obtained by the Schot brothers of the ZZ 8 from the bottom of a through ca. 1500 m long, 200 m wide, and 35 to 45 m deep along the South coast of Schouwen island North of the Roggenplaat, and belong to the municipal museum of Zieriksee. The keeper, Mr. P. van Beveren, suggested that they be identified. Prof. Van der Vlerk kindly arranged a short visit to Zieriksee to enable me to select the specimens described in the present contribution, and Prof. Dr. B.G. Escher, director of the Geological Museum at Leiden, had the photographs taken at his institution by Mr. W.F. Tegelaar. This cooperation is here gratefully acknowledged.\nThe fossils dredged from the East Schelde, as might be expected, are of various ages. Besides remains of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, bison, and red deer, there are teeth of bunomastodontids and of primitive elephantines. Very similar teeth from the East Schelde have already been described by the late Miss Dr. A. Schreuder (1944, 1945a, 1949), who identified them as Anancus arvernensis (Croizet et Jobert) and Archidiskodon planifrons (Falconer et Cautley) respectively. The fossils thus identified are stained jet black, and for this reason have been referred to as \xe2\x80\x9cblack fossils\xe2\x80\x9d in the Dutch literature (Van der Vlerk, 1938, p. 10; Van der Vlerk and Florsch\xc3\xbctz, 1950, p. 63; Van der Vlerk, 1951, p. 119/120; 1952, pp. 156, 157). They are taken to represent a fauna somewhat older than that of Tegelen in Limburg province (= Upper Villafranchian: Schreuder, 1945b), and have been correlated with the Red Crags of England, Upper Pliocene or Lower Pleistocene according to one\xe2\x80\x99s own favoured definition of the Plio-Pleistocene boundary.

Description: De oude Heer CUVIER heeft in het begin van de vorige eeuw gezegd dat het leven op aarde te verdelen is in grote perioden van rustige ontwikkeling, afgewisseld met grote catastrophen (hij noemde het kataklysmen) waarin elk leven te gronde ging.\nTegenwoordig wordt dit alles niet meer zo absoluut gezien, maar toch weten we dat er in sommige tijden plaatselijke catastrophen plaats vonden: geweldige lava-uitstromingen, het optreden van ijsvelden die grote delen van de wereld bedekten etc. Al deze catastrophen vernietigden de plaatselijke planten- en dierenwereld en in de aangrenzende gebieden was de invloed vaak nog z\xc3\xb3 sterk, dat daar grote veranderingen optraden. Van een catastrophe echter die de gehele wereld ingrijpend be\xc3\xafnvloedde is nooit sprake geweest tot de komst van de mens.

Description: The publication by ENGEL, GEERTS and VAN REGTEREN ALTENA (1940) on Alderia modesta (Loven, 1844) and Limapontia depressa Alder & Hancock, 1862, in the estuaries of southwestern Holland (provinces of Zuid-Holland and Zeeland) induced us to look for these animals on other Dutch mud-flats, viz. in the Waddenzee, where they had not been collected before.\nFirst we inspected the gullies between the mud flats, which contain more than 1 metre of water at high tide and, in addition, the Zostera nana-zone, which is dry at low tide and about under 50 cm of water at high tide. Lateron we searched for algae in the brackish inland waters, which will be mentioned below. In all these localities we did not find a single Alderia modesta or Limapontia depressa.

Description: In his valuable report on the freshwater fishes of British Guiana, Eigenmann (1912, pp. 64-73) gave a list of the species, together with comparable lists on the freshwater fishes of the adjacent regions. In sharp contrast with the number of 266 species reported from the Essequibo area only, the total amount of Surinam species proved to be but 118! Although since Eigenmann compiled these lists some more species have been reported from Surinam, the general situation has remained essentially the same, clearly showing the backward state of ichthyological research in this area.\nA possibility to improve our knowledge of this subject came when during the last four years the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie received several more or less extensive collections of fishes from various parts of Surinam, on a small part of which two short reports have already been published (Boeseman, 1948a, b). However, as it was thought advisable to include all Surinam material available, the investigations thereof and the subsequent preparation of a comprehensive report would obviously take several years.\nOn account of this, it was considered useful to published some preliminary results of the investigations on the first part of our still rapidly growing collection of Surinam material. As this publication is meant to be principally of faunistic importance, all species already mentioned in Eigenmann\'s list (l.c.) have been omitted.\nPotamotrygon hystrix (M\xc3\xbcller & Henle). 1 ex., embryonic, in creek, Coppenam River Trail to Table Mountain (line III), 1st camp at km 57, Emma Range of Mountains, November, 1044, Dr. D. C. Geijskes, total length 23 cm.

Description: In connection with a study of an extensive collection of prehistoric mammals from Toalian caves in Southwestern Celebes, a certain number of recent mammal species from Celebes and adjacent islands have been examined. In most cases the recent material for comparison available of a given species was adequate to determine the status of the corresponding cave form. Some of the cave animals (Phalanger celebensis (Gray), Macaca maura (Geoffr. et F. Cuvier), Macrogalidia musschenbroekii (Schlegel), Sus celebensis M\xc3\xbcller et Schlegel, and Babyrousa babyrussa (L.)) could be shown to be subspecifically distinct from the living forms (Hooijer, 1950 a). In all of these cases the time that has elapsed since the deposition of the material in the prehistoric caves has been sufficient for a subspecific differentiation to have taken place.\nIn some cases examined, however, the recent material available to me at the time was rather poor, and additional material was greatly needed.\nSince the preparation of the cave report (Hooijer, 1950 a) more recent specimens have been examined while visiting various natural history museums in the United States. It is a great pleasure to thank the curators of mammals, Dr. George H. H. Tate of the American Museum of Natural History, Dr. David H. Johnson of the United States National Museum, and Dr. Colin C. Sanborn of the Chicago Natural History Museum, for their kind cooperation and permission to study the material in the collections under their charge.\nThe present paper contains observations on Phalanger ursinus (Temminck) and Lenomys meyeri (Jentink), two species which are represented in the cave collection and which I have dealt with before on the basis of

Description: In a previous paper (1952, p. 190) I reported upon a specimen from the Lucie River, Surinam, doubtlessly belonging to Boulenger\'s genus Brachychalcinus, but had to abstain from giving a definite specific identification on account of the lack of comparative material, the insufficiency of previous literature, and the obviously juvenile state of the single specimen.\nA possibility to look once more into this matter, and to amend my previous statement, was brought about by the existence of eight specimens from the same river system, and probably belonging to the same species, in the collections of the Chicago Natural History Museum, and the offer to have these sent to me as a loan. For this courtesy, and for the loan of a single juvenile specimen of Brachychadcinus retrospina Boulenger, I am indebted to Dr. R. F. Inger, Assistant Curator of Fishes of the Chicago Natural History Museum.\nThe genus Brachychalcinus Boulenger (1892, p. 11) belongs to the subfamily Stethaprioninae, a subfamily allied to the Tetragonopterinae but differing by the possession of a procumbent predorsal spine. Within this subfamily, however, Brachychalcinus differs from the other, and better known genera, by the shape of this procumbent spine, described by Eigenmann & Myers (1929, p. 508) as "trigger- or hammer-shaped, its free portion forming a longer anterior and shorter posterior branch, both of which are sharply pointed". It is triangular in lateral view, with the longest side about continuous with the dorsal outline, its two further sides concave, and is attached with the lower angle. A similar spine is found just before the origin of the anal fin.\nOf this very rare South American genus, only two species hitherto have

Description: A study of the collection of Dermaptera in the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie at Leiden has been made by the author during the years 1942 and 1943, but publication of the results had to be postponed for several years on account of various difficulties arising during and since the war.\nThese investigations yielded some interesting results, including the descriptions of several new species. It is intended to publish these descriptions in the near future after a study of the literature of the group that has appeared since 1943.\nOf the subfamily Diplatyinae the material of the Leiden Museum contains specimens of two forms that proved to belong to hitherto undescribed species. Together with other representatives of this subfamily these specimens were sent to Dr. W. D. Hincks of the Manchester Museum, for comparison with the material that formed the basis for his nearly completed revision of the group. Of the two forms referred to above, one appeared to be conspecific with a species to be described by Dr. Hincks in the near future, the other is described in the present paper, in order that notes on this species may be incorporated into the revision of the group.\nDiplatys sumatranus nov. spec. 1 \xe2\x99\x82, Air Njuruk, Dempu, Sumatra, 1400 m, VIII 1916, coll. E. Jacobson.\nThe present specimen is small and slender, of the usual general appearance in this genus (see fig. 1).\nColouration: the head and the prozona of the pronotum are castaneous; the same colour, though less dark generally, is shown by the median part of the metazona, the elytra, a band along the outer margins of the wing-scales, Fig. 1. Diplatys sumatranus nov. spec. af habitus of male, and end of abdomen in lateral

Description: So far as we know, all Burseraccae have been described as shrubs or trees, ranging from small and slender to very lofty.\nSome recently discovered material, however, pointed at the possibility that scandent representatives, if perhaps not true lianes, are not entirely lacking in the family. The first specimen intimating this habit to have come to our knowledge was collected by J. & M. S. Clemens on Mt. Kinabalu in British North Borneo, with the emphatic addition \xe2\x80\x9csurely scandent\xe2\x80\x9d. This specimen is almost certainly a Dacryodes in the relationship of rugosa (Bl.) H. J. Lam, var. virgata (Bl.) H. J. Lam. It appeared to deserve specific rank and it has been described by the junior writer underneath as D. scandens. Full particulars are give there.

Description: Trees; leaves with caducous stipules; tertiary nervation descendant, but usually lax and irregular; inflorescences clustered, axillary, manyflorous; calyx with two rows of four lobes each; corolla 8-merous, each lobe with 2 dorsal segments as long as itself; stamens epipetalous, 8, in the same row as the 8 alternipetalous staminodes; ovary usually 8-celled; cells 1-ovuled, ovules anatropous, attached at the base; fruit a berry, 1\xe2\x80\x942-seeded; seeds with a small, circular, basal scar, in which the hilum and the micropyle are placed close to one another; albumen abundant; cotyledons thin, foliaceous; radicle long, cylindrical, exsert \xe2\x80\x94 About 80 species in all tropical countries, except in America.\nIn 1925, Lam (Bull. Jard. Bot. Bzg, s\xc3\xa9r. 3, 7, 1925, 235\xe2\x80\x94237) described of M. elengi three varieties, var. typica, var. parvifolia and var. brevifolia and a forma longepedunculata in the type-variety. As was pointed out already by him, the differences between the two new varieties are slight, if existing at all. As those between M. elengi and M. parvifolia were obscured by many intermediate stages Lam was forced to consider the latter a variety of the former. Studying the more abundant material at our disposal it becomes clear that M. elengi is an extremely variable species in which it is impossible to distinguish varieties or forms. However, it must be pointed out that in the western parts of the Archipelago the leaves are large (up to 18 cm long), whereas they are decreasing in size towards the east, ending in the small leaves of the former species M. parvifolia (up to 6 cm long).

Description: In 1949 a trip was made to Kenya Colony, British East Africa, with the aim of collecting Phanerogamic plants and Ferns. The intention was to collect 12 sets of each number which I managed to do for about 70 %.\nExcept for the first set which will be incorporated in the Rijksherbarium, the plants will be sold to those institutes in Europe, S. Africa and America which had subscribed in advance. It is expected, however, that a few more sets in excess of the 12 aforementioned will be available. It should be noted that these will prove rather incomplete, numbering less than 30 % of the total amount.

Description: H. Buttgenbach beschrieb im Jahre 1947 eine neues, H2O-haltiges Zinnmineral aus dem Belgisch-Kongo unter dem Namen \xe2\x80\x9eVarlamoffit\xe2\x80\x9d. In den Arbeiten von N. Varlamoff (1948a, 1948b, 1949) findet man Angaben \xc3\xbcber das Vorkommen und die paragenetischen Verh\xc3\xa4ltnisse. H. Buttgenbach (1950) stellt fest, dass der von R. Herzenberg (1946) beschriebene Souxit vermutlich mit Varlamoffit identisch sei; da aber letzterer genauer beschrieben und untersucht ist, schl\xc3\xa4gt er vor, das Mineral weiterhin Varlamoffit zu nennen. S. Gastellier (1950) gibt die Resultate chemiseher Untersuchungen bekannt und A. Russell und E. A. Vincent (1952) schliesslich publizierten r\xc3\xb6ntgenographische Untersuchungen und stellten fest, dass Varlamoffit auch in den Zinnerzg\xc3\xa4ngen von Cornwall (England) vorkommt.\nBevor wir zu den Resultaten unserer eigenen Untersuchungen \xc3\xbcbergehen wollen, sei im Nachstehenden eine kurze Uebersicht \xc3\xbcber die in den genannten Publikationen mitgeteilten Befunde gegeben.

Description: The author measured length and breadth (in tenths of millimeters) of 855 Gull eggs from a large colony on the island of Texel (Eendracht). Frequency curves of length (fig. 1) and breadth (fig. 2) are given, as well as the curves on probability paper (fig. 3). Fig. 4 shows the distribution of the respective relations between length and breadth; the data given by de Vries, Jourdain, and Bau have been added.

Description: As I have pointed out before, big game animals are very scarce in Museum collections. Many treatises are based on material from Zoological gardens, changed by captivity and often from unknown origin, from collections of frontlets, skulls and other trophies, bought haphazardly during expeditions which used all their time in thoroughly collecting the more interesting small animals. As a matter of fact, the rare species are better represented than the common ones, and the more a well-known species of game-animal is hunted, the fewer the specimens in the collections of the official Musea. The same is true for our knowledge of the biology of tropical big-game. Rare species, threatened by extinction, are studied with haste and often when it is too late to collect sufficient data. So, in preparing laws and regulations concerning the subject of hunting, one is always confronted with the fact that even the most necessary information is lacking.\nBarking-deer are game which is highly esteemed by hunters in our area, because they give good sport, the heads make nice trophies and perhaps also because the meat is excellent to eat. They are not scarce yet, no expensive hunting-parties are needed for an hour or two of shooting. In fact a man working on one of the large estates in Western Indonesia, may take his gun in spare-time and bring home a good buck before supper with a bit of luck.

Description: For the last twenty years several authors have been pointing out, that the species of the genus Lepas are very difficult to distinguish. The forms Lepas anatifera Linn\xc3\xa9 and Lepas anserifera Linn\xc3\xa9 especially cause trouble in identifying. It is often hard and sometimes even impossible to distinguish them by an examination of the shell pieces alone. The only distinguishing mark between the two species is the number of the filamentary appendages, which is two (seldom only one) for Lepas anatifera and four to six for Lepas anserifera. The other characters of the capituium used in most of the earlier keys are too variable to be used for accurate identifying.\nThe number of the filamentary appendages may render good service too if one has to distinguish Lepas hilli Leach from Lepas anatifera Linn\xc3\xa9 and Lepas pectinata Spengler from Lepas anserifera specimens with strongly furrowed valves. For this purpose a key based on the number of the filamentary appendages has been included in this paper.

Description: During the last few years several persons have been paying attention to the animals transported by floating objects (e.g. bunches of weeds and hydroids, corks, mines, floats, etc.). A careful examination of recent finds increased the list of species known of nearly all groups of marine animals, found washed ashore on the Dutch coast, and gave a good notion of the origin of passively transported floating objects on our shores.\nThe present authors, agreeing with IJzerman (1937), Kaas & Ten Broek (1939), Bloklander & Brouwer (1946\xe2\x80\x94\xe2\x80\x9947). Lucas (1950) and several others, in most cases look upon the Channel, the coast of Normandy and the South coast of England as their places of origin.

Description: This paper is based on the material of Callichthyid catfishes (genera Hoplosternum and Callichthys) present in the collections of the Zoological Museum, Amsterdam. The study was induced by some specimens of \xe2\x80\x9ekwi-kwi\xe2\x80\x9d introduced from Paramaribo by Mr. Arn. J. d\xe2\x80\x99Ailly mayor of Amsterdam. Some of the specimens are still alive in the local aquarium.\nTwo forms may clearly be distinguished and identified as Hoplosternum littorale (Hancock, 1828), and Hoplosternum thoracatum (Valenciennes, 1840), though both are subspecifically different.

Description: It is an established fact that many insects which are now serious pests were once harmless species living on wild plants and other \xe2\x80\x9dnatural\xe2\x80\x9d sources of food. As soon as mankind provided their natural food, or at least an adequate substitute for their natural food, in bulk by cultivating plants, these animals were able to multiply to such an extent that they became a very serious problem. A well-known example is the Colorado Beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) which originally lived in North America on a few wild species of Solanace\xc3\xa6, but later attacked the introduced potato plants and thus became the worst insect pest of potato crops, not only in its native country, but also in Europe.\nClothes Moths and Carpet Beetles are also serious pests because they are highly specialised in their nutritional requirements and use the protein keratin as a staple food. Keratin also happens to be the main constituent of wool and hair, the essential fibres for our winter clothing, our blankets, carpets, rugs, upholstered furniture and other textile materials, fur goods, etc. It goes without saying that these articles only became available at the time when prehistoric man started to use animal skins as clothing and to live in more or less permanent settlements. It is most unlikely that the evolution of the Clothes Moths and Carpet Beetles coincided with the early history of human civilisation. Consequently only the alternative remains, viz., that these insects were already living on accumulations of keratinaceous material available in nature and only became pests because man, most conveniently from the point of view of the insects, assembled considerable quantities of wool and hair.

Description: It will be difficult to imagine a more variable group of species than the European representatives of the genus Callipallene Flynn, 1929. He, who wants to identify the European species and sub-species of the genus Callipallene, may easily get stuck, for if he does not dispose of enough material for comparison, he will have great trouble in distinguishing them. Yet, though difficult to define, certain differences do exist between the forms.\nIt must be pointed out that non-adult specimens are almost unidentifiable. With the aid of our drawings and descriptions, however, it will be possible to identify full-grown females and ovigerous males.