r 1 1 I-. AM V. R I C A N HO'IA N I ST 85 



Forest Service is preparing; a standard list of the coninion 

 names of the Trees. * * "*' This makes four or li\e 

 "Standards" h\ which u c can estimate the correct name of 

 a tree in America. * * * If only somehoil} wouUl de- 

 cide which is the standard standard ! 



What is the world cominj,^ to? Here is Sir Arthur E. 

 Shipley writing of Biol{\gy as if it had something to do with 

 life and actually daring to make a joke occasionally and to 

 (|uote from such classics as "The Walrus and the Carpenter" 

 and "The Toad aiul the Ccntii)e(le". He says in his preface 

 that he intended to write a hook which would make students 

 of elementary hi(jlogy think. Well, he has done it all right, 

 hut what the solemn scientist will think ahout it will he good 

 and plenty. Quite likel\- the latter will secure a copy and 

 sneaking into his stud\-. lock the door and smile in security, 

 hut in puhlic he will feel ohliged to frown on anytliing ap- 

 |)roaching lc\it\- in connection with science. And yet the 

 l)o()k is good science and e.xact science. There is no trifling 

 with the facts to make an entertaining tale. The author is 

 simply alive and acts as if his suhject were, too. He hegins 

 his volume 1)\- ;ittempting to define life, (|uoting in this con- 

 nection Dr. Johnson, Harry L;uuler, llerhert Si)encer and 

 nian\- others not forgetting the ])opnlar ojiinion that "Ij'fe 

 is just one d d tiling after anoilier '! All the life pro- 

 cesses common to plants and animals are discussed with nu- 

 merous interesting examples of each and at the end the au- 

 thor "ventures to hojje that the hook will not he wit'hout in- 

 terest to the puhlic that is not preparing for examinations" 

 and thanks Hea\en that this puhlic is still in the majority. 

 Not without interest? We'll say it is! Anybody from six- 

 teen to sixt}- who picks it up i.s likel}' to read it through be- 



