Books and Current Literature 299 



large, running into the hundreds of thousands for each variety. 

 Sports are constantly appearing, and the fields afford unlimited 

 opportunity for crossing. 

 University of Michigan. 



BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE. 



The Dunes of New Zealand. — Cockayne has recently 

 made a second valuable contribution to the literature relating 

 to sand dunes and their reclamation. * His previous report, 

 published in 1909, and reviewed in this journal for June 1910, 

 presented the partial results of a scientific survey of the New 

 Zealand sand dunes, made in the austral summer of 1908-09, 

 under the direction of the ]\Iinister of Lands. It was confined 

 to a consideration of the nature and the flora of the dunes of 

 western Wellington, but the present paper covers those of the 

 whole New Zealand biological area, and a second part is added 

 which treats with great thoroughness the subject of their recla- 

 mation. 



The dune areas of the North Island comprise 290,000 acres, 

 that of the South Island 24,000 acres. They are for the most 

 part situated on the coasts, but some of smaller extent in the 

 interior. It is evident that the proper management of this 

 large extent of territory is a matter of no small importance. 

 In Europe the prime object of dune reclamation has been the 

 preservation of the coast lines, but in New Zealand it is the 

 protection of adjacent fertile lands, as well as the utilization, 

 as far as possible, of the dunes themselves. 



It is believed that before the entrance of civilized man 

 upon the scene, nature herself had made the dunes stationary 

 by clothing them with a protective indigenous vegetation. The 

 number of plant species now growing on the dunes is 147, of 

 which 82 are endemic and 43 Australian. Several of these nat- 

 ive species are excellent sand binders or sand collectors. The 

 author gives full descriptions of these, pointing out the special 

 adaption which they possess for these purposes. The most 



