60 NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



such objections by the production of the latter book for the use of 

 beginners. This elementary book is an exceedingly lucid and 

 serviceable reduction of the larger one, and is certain to prove 

 of great benefit. The ' Botanische Practicum ' itself will be of use, 

 not only in fitting the advanced student for original research, but 

 as a handbook for elementary teachers, who in practical demon- 

 strations are sometimes in the dangerous position of knowing very 

 little more than what they teach. The book is divided into thirty- 

 four lessons, prefaced by an introduction dealing with micro- 

 scopes and all necessary apparatus, and containing advice of the 

 most excellent kind. The lessons are adapted to the progress 

 of the student, beginning with simple subjects and proceeding to 

 more complex. Each lesson, it may be said, is sufficient to occupy 

 even students of a very advanced type, for considerably longer 

 than the term lesson commonly implies. In the present position 

 of microscopical research, a book of this kind has become neces- 

 sary to the large class of " workers by themselves," to enable 

 them to keep pace with the progress of science. It is necessary now 

 to bring so much more than mere microscopic vision to the work, 

 that instruction in the various methods of preparation of objects 

 (such as bacteria, &c.) will give this book an especial value in the 

 eyes of those whose isolated position deprives them of the resources 

 to which others have access. G. M. 



Vergleichende Morphologie und Biologie der Pilze, Mycetozoen tmd 

 Bacterien; von A. de Baky. (Leipzig, Engelmann, 1884). 



Those who take up this book with the expectation af finding 

 in it a second edition of the author's ' Morphologie und Physiologie 

 der Pilze, Flechten und Myxomyceten ' will be agreeably surprised 

 to find that the progress of mycology during the last twenty years 

 has been such as to necessitate the production of what is in point 

 of fact a new book ; and, moreover, that Prof, de Bary has again 

 undertaken the arduous labour of gathering in the materials thus 

 furnished, and of providing from these a text-book worthy of the 

 progress it chronicles. To give any adequate idea of the contents 

 and the manner of treatment of the great range of subjects would 

 need wider bounds than those of a short notice. Such a notice, 

 however, would be incomplete without mention of the classifica- 

 tion of Fungi adopted by Prof, de Bary, which though first 

 sketched two years ago in the Beitrage zur Morph. v. Physiol, der 

 Pilze, now gains special importance from its employment in what 

 will prove no doubt the standard text-book for a number of years 

 to come. 



Prof, de Bary thus classifies the Fungi, and no one can read 

 the chapter dealing with the principles underlying the classifica- 

 tion without feeling the force of the case made out for it : — 



I. The Ascomycetes Series. 



1. Peronosporeas (with Ancylis- 4. Entomophthoreaa. 



tese and Monoblepharis). 5. Ascomycetes. 



2. Saprolegniese. 6. Urediue^e. 



3. Mucorini or Zygomycetes. 



