BOOK REVIEWS 187 



own resources to find the names of the birds that he is supposed to 

 know and list under these several headings. The book is sugges- 

 tive, however, and would be a helpful manual to use in a course in 

 agriculture. 



Soils and Soil Fertility. A. R. Whitson and H. L. Walster. 

 Pp. 315. Webb Publishing Co. $1.25. 

 The book is a clear statement of the origin, nature, and types of 

 soils. The customary subjects are discussed, including chemical 

 composition, methods of analysis, fertilizers, drainage, humus, etc. 

 In the closing twenty-five pages of the book, there are given a num- 

 ber of laboratory exercises to be taken in connection with each 

 chapter. 



The Three Gifts of Life. By Nellie M. Smith. Pp. Dodd 

 Mead & Company. 50 cts. 

 This is an attempt to present the facts of reproduction in plant 

 life, animal life, and finally in human life. The statement is 

 simple, modest, and adapted to the boy or girl. It belongs to the 

 class of books whose influence we can only know after considerable 

 experience. It is a sane and careful presentation of the subject, so 

 guardedly written that it might well be put into the hands of the 

 inquisitive child. 



