GO THE JOUUXAL or BOTANY 



the local distribution of each species, with the names of the col- 

 lectors and the numbers under which their plants have been dis- 

 tributed. " While certain necessary new combinations have been 

 made, and certain new names proposed, tliis bibliographic enumera- 

 tion has not been made a vehicle for the publication of new species, 

 but includes only those that have elsewhere been described." We 

 especially commend the care with which the making of new com- 

 binations has been avoided, save in cases of absolute necessity ; thus 

 under Eugenia the plants assigned to genera relegated to that genus 

 stand iu the alphabetical list of species under the name b}^ which 

 they were .originally described — thus " Si/zygium campaiiulatum 

 Korth." stands between " Eugenia horneensis Miq." and " E. capi- 

 tata Merr." : if this practice had been generally adopted we should 

 have been spared the creation of unnecessary synonymy, and it may 

 be hoped that the example now set may be generally followed. 



Tiie index is arranged on a somewhat novel plan. Names of 

 genera, whether retained or reduced, are in roman type,_ those of 

 species, whether accepted or regarded as synonyms, in italic ; to the 

 latter is appended the name of the genus to which the plant is 

 referred in the body of the work. In this arrangement we fail 

 to find any advantage ; thus, to take an example, having learnt that 

 Ptyssoglottis anisophylla is referred to Rallier acantha, we still 

 have to turn up the reference in order to ascertain the full name of 

 the plant. The usual plan, by which an index is limited to names, 

 seems to us in every way preferable ; the object of an index is not to 

 supply information, but to indicate where information can be obtained; 

 moreover, as here printed, the index occupies more space than is 

 usual, and that again is not an advantage. 



Another point which affords ground for criticism is the entire 

 ■ neglect of the opportunity provided by the heads of pages for the 

 conveyance of useful information. In a work such as this, the 

 placing at the head of each page the name of the order treated below 

 is a considerable help to ready consultation : at present it is necessary 

 to refer to the index in ©rder to ascertain where an order is to be 

 found. The practice indicated is that of the British Museum and 

 Kew publications, and it is so manifestly useful that it seems strange 

 that it should not always be followed. The sequence of orders, by 

 the way, is that of Engler and Prantl ; we note that, as in Mr. Mer- 

 rill's other works, names derived from those of persons do not begin 

 with a capital. 



It remains to be said that the volume is excellently and carefully 

 printed. 



Botany for Students of Medicine and Pharmacy. By F. E. Fritch, 

 D.Sc, Ph.D., F.L.S.. and E. J. Salisbuht, D.Sc, F.L.S. 8vo, 

 cloth, pp. 357, 163 figs. 10s. Qd. net. G. Bell: London, 

 1921. 

 Br the favourable reception of their previous volumes, An Intro- 

 duction to the Study of Plants, followed by An Introduction to the 

 Structure and Reproduction of Plants, the authors are quite justi- 



