THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 127 



pollination understanding-ly, or that fifth grade pupils should 

 study the flowers of grasses. Nor has the sixth grade any 

 business in the culture of bacteria or the formation of starch in 

 leaves. Other topics which the pupil is supposed to taste be- 

 fore leaving the grades are respiration, digestion, photosyn- 

 thesis, root hairs and osmosis, stomata, chloroplasts, rusts, 

 smuts, etc., many of them studied with the compound mi- 

 croscope. All these we maintain, belong to the domain of 

 botany rather than nature study. Other topics, sup-p-ested 

 more in line with what we conceive to be real nature study, are 

 seed despersal, devices for plant protection, window garden- 

 ing, study of trees and fruits, the names of plants, etc. The 

 author has intentionally suggested more work than he expects 

 will be performed by any one school, with the idea of giving 

 teachers a choice of subjects, but that many of these subjects 

 are not susceptible of treatment by nature-stud}^ methods can- 

 not be too strongly emphasized. Tlie book is equally exhaust- 

 ive in suggestions for work in zoology, geology and physio- 

 logy and outlines a year's work in the eight grades for each. 

 Other chapters discuss the motives and educational value of 

 nature-study with suggestions for teaching the different sub- 

 jects. It is a book that the up-to-date teacher must have and 

 in the hands of a sensible teacher will do much to put this 

 study on a rational basis. It is published by Charles Scribners 

 Sons, New York. 



A most interesting little volume designed for making bo- 

 tany attractive to pupils in the grade schools is Dennis' "Nature 

 Study," issued by the Teachers' Journal Co., Marion, Ohio. 

 Prof. Dennis takes as his sub-title "One Hundred Lessons 

 About Plants" and approaches his subject from the 

 natural history point of view. The subjects discussed 

 are adaptations to light, pollination, seed dispersal, 

 adaptation to climate, plant societies, etc., as well as 

 more technical matters such as the structure of stems, 



