338 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



the presence of infesting algae, the male plants were conspicuous by 

 the verj'- large bright-coloured antheridia. It occurred in company 

 with T. glomerata, Lamprofhumnium papillosum, Chara canesceas, 

 and C. galioides. So far as 1 know, it has not hitherto been recorded 

 from France, though known to occur in the south of Spain, Algiers, 

 and Tunis. — James Groves. 



KEVIEWS. 



The Botany and Gardens of the James Allen's Girls'' School, 

 Dulwich : their History and Oryanisation. [By Lilian J. 

 Clarke.] Board of Education Educational Pamphlets no. 41. 

 8vo, wrapper, pp. 52, illustrated. H.M. Stationeiy Office : 2*-. net. 



" The Botany Gardens at the James Allen's Girls' School were 

 begun in 1896, and, as far as we know, this School was the first 

 Secondary School in England to jwssess Gardens which were placed in 

 charge of the pupils and used for the purpose of teaching botany 

 rather than as a means of studying horticulture." Thus begins the 

 Introduction to this most interesting little book, which contains 

 a history of the development of the Gardens from the beginning, in 

 189G to"^the end of 1915 — the publication was delayed owing to the 

 War. At first they consisted solely of Natural Order beds, but the 

 scheme graduall}^ developel and extended until in the space of about 

 an acre it was found possible to arrange plots showing the charac- 

 teristic features of salt marsh and sand dune, lane, wood, pond, and 

 heath, with plots for pollination experiments, vegetable gardens, and 

 order beds. It is difficult to believe that such varied aspects of vege- 

 tation could be adequately displayed in so small a space; but an 

 inspection of the illustrations and still more of the photographs 

 which we have been privileged to see, shows that what might have 

 seemed impossible has been adequately accomplished. 



The Report, the perusal of which cannot be too strongly recom- 

 mended to all interested in ecological study, and indeed to all in- 

 terested in education, contains a full account of the establishment 

 and development of the respective plots, with information as to the 

 localities whence the soils and plants were derived and complete lists 

 of the species. 



The soil and plants were not always acquired without diffienlty — 

 for example, the soil for the first salt marsh (1905) was obtained 

 from near Gravesend, Avhere it was arranged with a workman to put 

 some of the soil in sacks and send it to Dulwich by train ; the second 

 salt marsh came from Burnham-on-Crouch ; " in it were sods con- 

 taining such characteristic plants as Salicornia hrhacea, Statice 

 Limoniiim, AtripJex portulaooides, Glyceria maritima ; before the 

 soil could be removed permission of several authorities had to be 

 obtained." Of the scientific value of the Gardens the salt marsh 

 affords an instance: "Dr. E. Marion Delf, one of our 'old girls ' 

 came here to finish a piece of research work on transpiration in salt- 

 marsh plants, for which she obtained the degree of Doctor of Science." 



It is pleasant to read of the interest which the pupils themselves 

 have shown in the development of the scheme by collecting living 



