BOOKS AND CURRENT LITERATURE 335 



Olive, and Phillips on mitosis as being the "result of unconscious seK- 

 deception" (p. 9). 



In the discussion of Gaidukov's theory of "complementary chro- 

 matic adaptation" no reference is made to the physiological work 

 bearing directly on this question, that of Dory and of Schindler 

 particularly. 



The classification of the Myxophyceae Is given in full very much 

 as in the author's British Freshwater Algae (1904), though the detailed 

 treatment extends only to the famihes, with remarks on the impor- 

 tant genera. This is the method used throughout the book. The ab- 

 sence of analjiiical keys and generic descriptions, which proved so use- 

 ful in the earlier work, will be disappointing to users of the present book 

 especially as the British Freshwater Algae is now out of print. 



The author clings to his notion that Glaucocystis should be included 

 in the MjTcophyceae, though its color seems to the reviewer to be more 

 than counterbalanced by other and more convincing characters. The 

 author himseK is at pains to point out that color is too variable in 

 the group to be relied on. Indeed, he naively uses this fact as an argu- 

 ment against the name Cyanophyceae, not mentioning the well estab- 

 lished priority of Mjoiophyceae as a reason for its retention. 



The section on Peridinieae will be hailed with a glad cry by many 

 botanists. Here we find presented, in excellent and well digested form, 

 the first general account of the group in English. Many points of gen- 

 eral interest, such as Kofoid's work on mutation in Ceratium, are here 

 made readily available. No phase of the subject is neglected. 



Equally good, though not filling such a crying want, is the section 

 on Bacillarieae. Such accounts as this of the biology of the Diatoms 

 are most welcome to the limnologist, and will be of great service when 

 we get around to a scientific study of fish culture in fresh waters. 



The Chlorophyceae are given a general introduction of 28 pages, 

 which includes an excellent summary of the principal systems of classi- 

 fications thus far proposed. The more detailed treatment is reserved 

 for the subdivisions of the group. These subdivisions reflect the 

 changes in the point of view of the author since the publication of his 

 earlier book in 1904. At that time he divided the Class Chlorophyceae 

 'into nine orders. The Heterokontae were ranked as a coordinate class. 

 In the present work, however, the Chlorophyceae are grouped in four 

 "Divisions," the Isokontae, with six orders (Protococcales, Siphonales, 

 Siphonocladiales, Ulvales, Schizogoniales, Ulotrichales) ; the Akontae 

 (order Conjugales); the Stephanokontae (order Oedogoniales) ; and the 



