LITERARY NOTICES. 



133 



upon tissues. " Plant Physiology " is treat- 

 ed in six chapters, and the remainder of the 

 volume, over two hundred pages, is devoted 

 to the " Classification of Plants." Special 

 morphology is here elucidated, along with 

 the exposition of the characters which un- 

 derlie classification. The illustrations are 

 numerous, attractive, and very helpful to an 

 understanding of the text. 



As a brief exposition of the complete 

 science of botany, we have seen nothing 

 equal to this manual, which is every way 

 worthy of the incomparable work to which 

 it is the stepping-stone. 



Contributions to the ARCHiEOLOGT of Mis- 



SOCRI BT THE ArCH^OLOGICAI, SeCTION 



OP THE St. Louis Academy of Science. 

 Part I, Pottery. Salem, Mass. : George 

 A. Bates. $3.00. 



This handsome quarto volume is printed 

 on heavy tinted paper, and is illustrated by 

 five folded maps and twenty -four litho- 

 graphic plates, containing one hundred and 

 forty-eight figures. It contains a descrip- 

 tion of the earthworks and brief references 

 to the archaeological remains of southeast- 

 ern Missouri, by Professor W. B. Potter, 

 and a description of the ancient pottery by 

 Dr. Edward Evers. Their descriptions are 

 terse and to the point. Dr. Evers has no 

 theory regarding the race of people who 

 made this pottery, neither does he permit 

 himself to see some symbolic conception 

 in every quaint design he meets with. He 

 gives precisely what his readers want, a pro- 

 fusely illustrated volume of one hundred and 

 forty-eight figures of various vessels, strong- 

 ly drawn, and well drawn too. 



We congratulate the St. Louis Academy 

 of Science on this evidence of its pros- 

 perity, and we particularly congratulate its 

 Archaeological Section that it wastes no time 

 or money in rummaging through Greece, 

 Cyprus, or other parts of the Old World, in 

 quest of antiques, when at home such rich 

 treasures are to be revealed. 



Life on the Seashore; or, Animals of 

 OUR Coasts and Bays. With many Illus- 

 trations. By James H. Emerton. Salem, 

 Mass. : George A. Bates. $1.50. 



This little book forms the first volume 

 of the "Naturalist's Handy Series," and is 

 alike creditable to author and publisher. 



It will be found an exceedingly handy book 

 for any one interested in the animals of the 

 coast of New England. Much information 

 regarding the development and habits of 

 the lower animals is here given in a clear 

 and concise form. 



As a successful zoological draughtsman, 

 Mr. Emerton should remember that an ob- 

 ject expressed in lines is to be acknowledged 

 as fully as an idea expressed in words. This 

 remark is necessitated by his neglect in 

 many cases to give the authorities for the 

 drawings he uses. The book is handsomely 

 bound and printed. 



Introduction to the Mortuary Customs 

 AMONG the North American Indians. 

 By Dr. II. C. Yarrow. Washington : 

 Government Printing-Office. 1S80. Pp. 

 107. 



The series of works, of which this vol- 

 ume forms the third installment, has been 

 undertaken with the object of obtaining a 

 complete and trustworthy account of the 

 present and ancient customs and beliefs of 

 our North American Indians. Though much 

 has been written on the subject by travelers 

 and explorers, the amount which is of value 

 is comparatively small, through carelessness 

 of observation and the predispositions of 

 the writers. The volumes only profess to 

 be introductions, but it is hoped that, by 

 awakening the interest and directing the 

 attention of those in a position to obtain 

 first-hand knowledge, a body of accurate 

 and, in time, comparatively complete infor- 

 mation can be obtained. Introductions to 

 the study of Indian language and Sign-lan- 

 guage, the first by Major J. W. Powell, and 

 the latter by Colonel Garrick Mallery, have 

 already appeared. The present volume will 

 be followed by similar ones upon the medi- 

 cine practice, the mythology, and the soci- 

 ology of these Indians. In the preparation 

 of the volume on mortuary customs. Dr. 

 Yarrow has enlisted the services of a great 

 number of observers, with the result of ob- 

 taining a large mass of reliable data. The 

 plan adopted was to send to Indian agents, 

 physicians resident at agencies, army offi- 

 cers, and others, a circular clearly setting 

 forth the kind of information desired, and 

 the precautions necessary to be taken to get 

 it reliable. The ground covered by the vol- 

 ume includes the care of the lifeless body 



