16 



REVIEWS AND CRITICISMS. 



Elements of Botany. By J. Y. Bergen, Pacific Coast 

 Edition, Flora by Alice Eastwood, 1897. [Ginn & Co., 

 Boston.) 



Bergen's Botany has recently become so well-known as a 

 successful high-school text-book and has been so frequently 

 reviewed that Parti (devoted to morphology and physiology) 

 may be passed over and only Part II (which is systematic) 

 need, at this time, claim our attention. In the Pacific Coast 

 edition of recent issue, the " Flora of the Pacific Coast" 

 replaces the "Key and Flora to the Spring-blooming plants 

 of the Northern and Middle States" in the Eastern edition. 

 In a territory so extended as California, Oregon and Wash- 

 ington not even all the very common plants could be de- 

 scribed in a school book of this character and merely " those 

 most widely distributed or the most abundant near large 

 centres of population" have been included. Although the 

 number of species with almost equal claims is very large the 

 choice among them has been very wisely made; as to dis- 

 puted species only one or two have been included. 



A brief flora, restricted in this manner to the very common 

 native plants but with full descriptions, has long been desired 

 by many teachers and this book Miss Eastwood has provided. 

 Common names, which are frequently of so much assistance 

 to the youthful novice, are made much of, but surely many 

 will protest when they see the popular name of the Eastern 

 Linaria vulgaris, i. e. Butter and Eggs, transferred to 

 our gregarious Orthocarpus erianthus. Furthermore Lin- 

 aria vulgaris is lately introduced with us. We have also to 

 note that " High Sierras" should replace the expression 

 " Upp er Sierras," the former term enjoying acceptance with 

 mountaineers and geographers, and that Behr's Flora of the 

 vicinity of San Francisco is misquoted — but lapses and mis- 

 prints are few. — W. L. J. 



Exercises in Botany for the Pacific Slates. By Volney 



