3i8 The Field Naturalist's Quarteidy Nov. 



The Field Naturalist's Library. 



Reviews of Books, Periodicals, Etc. 



Common Spiders. By James H. Emerton. London : Ginn & Co. 

 Price 6s. 6d. net. 

 This work is designed "to meet the wants of readers who, without 

 making a special study of the subject, want to know a httle about spiders 

 in general, and especially those species that they often meet with." It 

 ought also to " lessen the prejudice against spiders, and lead to a more 

 general acquaintance with them, like the popular knowledge of birds 

 and butterflies." Although primarily designed for American readers, 

 field naturalists in this country will find this an admirable help in their 

 studies, many of our species being described, and the general informa- 

 tion given being to a large extent of universal application. But the 

 striking feature of the book is the wealth and accuracy of illustra- 

 tion. Every species described is illustrated, and in such a way that its 

 peculiarities are at once grasped. A large number are from photo- 

 graphs, which are excellently reproduced, the natural situations of 

 the webs being well displayed. The Introduction deals with Silk and 

 Spinning Organs, Colours and Markings, Habitats, Cobwebs, and the 

 Catching and Preserving of Spiders, — precisely the things that the field 

 worker wishes to be informed about. This is followed by a general 

 description of each family, and that by the descinption of the species 

 belonging to it, with a figure of each. The ground spiders and those 

 without cobwebs are dealt with first, and the sedentary species living in 

 webs in the latter half of the book. We heartily commend this book to 

 field workers. 



The Trees of New England. By L. L. Dame and H. Brooks. 

 London : Ginn & Co. Price 6s. 6d. net. 

 This is a concise account of the trees that are native in New England 

 or established, as well as of foreign trees introduced. There are no less 

 than 87 full-page plates in addition to the 196 pages of text, and all are 

 well executed. A good plan has been adopted in reproducing the 

 leaves, berries, &c., as much as possible of the natural size. The 

 general plan of the work is to give first the description of the family, 

 and then each species is dealt with under the following headings : 

 Habitat and Range, Habit, Bark, Winter Buds and Leaves, Inflor- 

 escence, Fruit, Horticultural Value. The size of the book is well 

 adapted for field work, as it fits easily in the pocket, and the book would 

 form a clear guide in a woodland walk for such trees as are common to 

 Old England and New. 



European Fungus Flora, Agaricace/e. By George Massee, 

 F.L.S., Principal Assistant (Cryptogams), Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Kew. London : Duckworth & Co. Price 6s. Pp. 244. 

 Mr Massee in his dedication of this work says that it is an "attempt 



