85 
him to his chosen haunts. He knows the poets well, and culls 
from them their sweetest thoughts. In these days, when so much 
of our botanical reading has an aggressive and controversial turn, 
it is refreshing to escape into the fens and forests. Every page 
in this book is odorous with wild flowers and tuneful with bees 
and birds. 
The volume is amply illustrated by photogravure impressions 
of actual Worcester county scenes, or of typical wild flowers. 
Thus the peat-meadow given opposite to page 196 is enough to 
fill a botanist’s soul with envy; and who would not love to wan- 
der through the path in the frontispiece ? 
The series of familiar papers is followed by a catalogue of the 
plants thus far found in the county, following the last edition of 
Gray’s Manual as to nomenclature. The author, who is eminently 
fair minded, says: “In the present state of botanical nomenclature, 
and for the purpose for which this catalogue is intended, I have 
not thought it wise or necessary to adopt proposed changes not 
yet generally accepted. The student in such matters can easily 
adapt himself to changing conditions.” 
The press-work and general composition of the book are very 
Satisfactory, indeed elegant. W. W. Balzey. 
Lhe Characeae of America. T.¥F. Allen. Part II. Fascicle 2. 
Issued December, 1894. Pages 9-17, plates 8, species 9, illus- 
trated. 
In this fascicle Dr. Allen has described and figured three new 
species of Nitella, N. Bastini, N. dilatata,and N. annularis, and 
six others are figured and described, \V. capitata, N. praclonga, 
NV. clavata, N. Macounii, N. axillaris,and N. Morongit.  E. G. B. 
List of Preridophyta and Spermatophyta growing without Culti- 
vation in Northeastern North America. Prepared by a Committee 
of the Botanical Ciub, American Association for the Advancement 
of Science, 8vo, pp. 377. New York, 1893-1894. 
_ This work, originally issued in signatures to members of the 
committee and such other botanists as expressed a desire for it in 
that form, is now sent complete, simultaneously with its appear- 
ance as Vol. 5, Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. 
_ It had its first definite inception at the Rochester, N. Y., meet- 
