20 Rhodora [JANUARY 
one is merely asked to observe whether the plant in question is culti- 
vated in a hanging basket or not. Surely greater lucidity could 
scarcely be attained. The book is one which will give pleasure to 
many a vacation tourist and will lead to many a speedy and often 
correct identification, also, however, inevitably to many an error. 
In his preface the author says, “The object of this Handbook is to 
furnish a convenient and easy means of determining the wild and cul- 
tivated flowering plants found in the East. The rarer plants grown in 
greenhouses and in Botanical Gardens are not included.” In the 
absence of any statement to the contrary the reader would naturally 
infer that all the wild plants of ‘the East’ — wherever that may be — 
have been included, which is far from being the case. If, for instance, 
a tourist attempts to use the book in Maine (which may fairly be 
interpreted as falling within the limits of the East), and tries to identify 
by it any one of a half dozen species of Eyebright, he will inevitably 
come to grief, for the genus is not mentioned. Various fairly promi- 
nent genera, such as Arisaema, Eriophorum, Lemna, Corallorhiza, 
Claytonia, Castalia, etc., are given but a single species, notwithstand- 
ing the fact that two or more of each are to be found in the eastern 
states. Where there has been, as in this work, a somewhat arbitrary 
selection as to which of many native plants to include and which to 
omit, it would seem that the author owed his public some intimation 
as to the method of choice, and at all events should warn the user 
against undue faith in the completeness of the work.— B. L. R. 
Vol. 14, no. 168, including pages 229 to 254, and title page of the volume, was 
issued 23 December, 1912. 
