THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 31 



of it brought up to date by someone with the same love for 

 the plants and a similar attitude toward nomenclature and 

 species-making. In these days of the strenuous, ultra-scien- 

 tific manual there would seem to be room for just such a book. 

 To do the work properly it would need a man like Dr. Bessey 

 or Dr. Beal. Meanwhile we who have copies of the old book 

 may continue to botanize with pleasure while others may dig 

 their species out of Britton's or Gray's — if they can! 



BOOKS AND WRITERS. 



With the beginning of its twentieth volume the British 

 Nature Notes which is the organ of the Selbome Society re- 

 sumed an earlier title and is now to be known as The Selbome 

 Magazine. The Society takes its name from the locality made 

 famous by the naturalist-parson Gilbert White and is doing a 

 good work in preserving the fauna, flora, foot-paths, ancient 

 monuments, and picturesque regions from destruction as well 

 as advancing the study of natural history and the love of out- 

 doors. There is no American society exactly like it, but this 

 does not imply that there ought not to be. 



Not the least valuable feature of the Bergen text -books is 

 the fact that they are not allowed to get out of date. A re- 

 vision of the "Essentials of Botany" has just been made and 

 this book, which stands midway between the author's "Ele- 

 ments of Botany" and "Principles of Botany" now offers a 

 very good text for the average year's course in plant study. 

 The only objectionable feature that we note, is the inclusion 

 of directions for laboratory work with the text, but this would 

 not be an objection in schools where laboratory guides are not 

 in use. The book gives a necessary survey of the lower groups 

 of plant life, but omits many exceptions that only serve to 

 puzzle the high school student, all of which is to be com- 

 mended. 



