REVIEWS 717 



taining fcEtal nutrition is here fully discussed. The two long chapters by 

 Dr. Lochhead on Foetal Nutrition and on Changes in the Maternal Organism 

 during Pregnancy provide more difficult reading than the rest of the book and 

 one leaves them with the impression that there is a perhaps unnecessary use of 

 technical terms. 



Space will not permit more than passing reference to the remaining chapters 

 dealing with Parturition, Lactation, Fertility, the quite excellent summary of facts 

 and hypotheses on the vexed question of sex-determination and the short con- 

 cluding account of phases in the life of the individual. It can only be said that 

 these are fully up to the standard of the earlier part of the book. Mention must 

 not be omitted of the excellent illustrations, the thoroughness of the references 

 given in footnotes and last but not least, the well-chosen quotations in many 

 languages at the heads of the chapters. 



It is inevitable that in such a book some mistakes and misprints should occur 

 but they seem on the whole few and unimportant. A few misprints occur in 

 specific names, e.g. those of Polypte7-us on p. 1 7 ; the account of the chromosomes 

 in polar body formation, while correct in general, is misleading in detail (p. 130) ; 

 it is unfortunate that in the discussion on sex the author has overlooked the 

 papers on Hydatina of Whitney and ShuU (if indeed the latter appeared in time 

 to be included), which would have made his account of this animal complete. 

 The mention of such small defects only emphasises the general excellence of the 

 book, which includes accounts of the most modern work in a surprising variety 

 of fields. 



L. DONCASTER. 



Plant Life in Alpine Switzerland. By E. A. Newell Arber, M.A. [Pp. 355.] 

 (London : John Murray, 1910. Price "js. 6d. net.) 



To write a popular scientific book that shall really interest the general public and 

 at the same time shall satisfy the scientific man is a task of such difficulty that 

 works of the kind are among the rarities in modern English literature. In 

 electing to write on Swiss Alpine Plants, Mr. Arber has chosen a subject excellently 

 adapted for popular treatment, for these plants offer many interesting features and 

 problems that may be observed and appreciated by the numerous holiday-seeking 

 visitors to Switzerland. Moreover, there was definite room for an English work 

 on the natural history of alpine vegetation. So far as popular interest is concerned, 

 it may at once be stated that Mr. Arber has succeeded in writing a book which 

 will not only interest those who care to examine the particular species described 

 but may also induce climbers to do more than merely glance with admiration at 

 the flowers around them. Observation is also encouraged and facilitated by the 

 truly excellent photographs that liberally illustrate the text, as well as by the 

 arrangement of the subject-matter — for the author largely groups the Swiss 

 alpine plants according to habitat. But these merits in encouraging observation are 

 hardly balanced by equal ones conducing to clear thinking and reasoning. For 

 when Mr. Arber attempts the scientific 7-atiotiale of the form and working of 

 alpine plants he occasionally falls into inadequacy or inaccuracy of statement. 

 Among such statements are : " The leaves of all members of the Heath family 

 {Ericacece) are evergreen"; "... Conifers do not bear flowers." Misleading, 

 too, is the assertion that " With alpine plants the tendency to excessive trans- 

 piration in summer is very marked owing to the high day temperature and the 

 dryness of the air." It should be pointed out that the temperature of the air is 



