THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 93 



Similarly an unidentified white flower might require the con- 

 sultation of more than a hundred pages. Concerning the 

 drawings we may note that the one labelled Drosera rotiindi- 

 folia is certainly not that species. Following the part of the 

 book devoted to the descriptions of species there are lists of 

 plants according to habitat and also according to the seasons 

 in which they bloom, but everywhere the lack of a key — which 

 is merely a labor saving device — is evident. In the intro- 

 ductory pages we note here and there slips such as ihe state- 

 ment that "white flowers which cannot attract insects by their 

 bright colors, are apt to be strong scented." As a matter of 

 fact, white flowers probably attract insects more successfully 

 than most others. Among the book's merits are its use of the 

 standard nomenclature, the accented scientific names, the un- 

 technical language in which the descriptions are given, and 

 the amount of information of a popular nature concerning 

 each species. Though somewhat unsuited to the beginner, 

 the book will be found of interest to older students for the 

 amount of general information about plants which it contains. 

 It was compiled by Mrs. Caroline A. Creevey author of 

 "Recreations in Botany" and "Flowers of Field, Hill and 

 Sw^amp." The illustrations used are largely from the latter 

 volume. The book is a 12mo. of over 550 pages and costs 

 $1.75 net. 



We fail to see how the title of "Elementary Plant Bio- 

 log}^" given to a little book by James Edward Peabody and 

 Arthur Ellsworth Hunt is appropriate for the subject it dis- 

 cusses To be sure the study of plants is a part of biology and 

 a book for beginners must be elementary. The trouble seems 

 to be the effort to connect the book with that magic word, 

 Biology, which is having such a vogue at present with those 

 w^ho would supplant the study of botany and zoology in the 

 public schools with "something just as good" as the drug- 

 gists and other retailers are accustomed to say. "Elementary 



