THK SELF-P]DUCATOR IN BOTANY 115 



The present volume contains nearly one hundred pages more than 

 the first English edition issued thirteen years before, and forty-four 

 more illustrations. In its preparation full use has been made of 

 the third edition of the Botanische Praktikum, which appeared in 

 1897. The notes added by the editor, which in previous editions 

 have been indicated by bracketing, have now been for the most part 

 incorporated in the text. Another alteration which will be observed 

 is the omission of the bibliographical notes which have been hitherto 

 appended to the chapters. The reason given that, " as the refer- 

 ences were very largely to German sources, it follows that any who 

 were capable of making use of them would be also capable of re- 

 ferring to them as set out at length in the German original," does 

 not seem adequate. A student would not be likely to have both 

 German and English editions of the manual, and, while naturally 

 preferring the latter to work with, might at the same time be glad 

 to have references to sources of more extensive information. 



We would also suggest the inclusion of some more typical form 

 than Marchantia in the study of the vegetative structure of the 

 Liverworts — it is remarkable how difficult it is to oust a " type " 

 which has once received the imprimatur of authority, though one 

 cannot imagine that either author or editor restricts himself in 

 practice to this extremely specialized and non-typical member of 



"'* ^-^""P- A. B. E. 



The Self-Educator in Botany. By E. S. Wishart, M.A. 8vo, 

 pp. xiv, 226, figs. 110. London: Hodder & Stoughton. 

 1900. Price 2s. 6d. 



It would be interesting to see the kind of botanist evolved by the 

 process of self-education set forth in this little manual. It is no worse 

 than many others, and much better than some, but a man must indeed 

 be a genius in exposition who can teach through the pages of a book 

 the subject-matter which is nowadays comprised in an elementary 

 course of botany, including internal structure and the principles of 

 experimental physiology. And this is what the author attempts in 

 the present instance. We would recommend the isolated student 

 to begin with the macroscopic study of familiar flowers on the lines 

 laid down by Professor Oliver in the earlier chapters of his Lessons 

 in Elementary Botany, or to get such a book as that by Professor 

 L. H. Bailey, reviewed in the February number of this Journal. 

 We do not mean to insinuate that Mr. Wishart's book is full of 

 mistakes, or badly written, but, candidly, we do not think the 

 isolated student will get very far into it before he is pulled up. 

 Nor are the illustrations especially helpful — they are almost without 

 exception extremely crude, and some very bad, notably those de- 

 picting internal structure made " either from fresh preparations or 

 from slides in the author's possession." 



A. B. K. 



