GRASSES 283 



We shall be much interested to see Prof. Wettstein's treatment 

 of the seventh stock, Cormophyta, and to hear his reasons for 

 lamping into one series everything which is not a Thallophyte. It 

 is a curious inversion of the old system, which was of course merely 

 an expression of ignorance, where everything which was not a 

 flowering plant was a Cryptogam. 



As regards the elaboration of individual series, their subdivision 

 is on familiar lines, that of the Fungi being based on Brefeld's 

 arrangement. A special feature is the number and excellence 

 of the illustrations. These will ensure the book a welcome by 

 the ordinary student, who will probably not be greatly disturbed by 

 departures from the more generally adopted arrangement of the 

 larger groups. - A B R 



Grasses. A Handbook for use in the Field and Laboratory. By 

 H. Marshall Ward, Sc.D., F.K.S. Pp. viii, 190, tt. 81. 

 Cambridge University Press. 1901. Price 6s. 



Professor Marshall Ward's book on Grasses is the latest 

 addition to the biological series of the Cambridge Natural Science 

 Manuals. It is not intended to be a complete manual of Grasses, 

 but "an account of our common native species, so arranged that 

 the student may learn how to closely observe and deal with the 

 distinctive characters of these remarkable plants when such problems 

 as the botanical analysis of a meadow or pasture, of hay, of weeds, 

 or of ' seed ' grasses are presented, as well as when investigating 

 questions of more abstract scientific nature." With this end in 

 view, the author has elaborated a series of chapters in which the 

 species are arranged (1) according to their vegetative characters ; 

 (2) according to the anatomical characters of the leaf; (3) according 

 to their flowers and inflorescences; (4) according to the grain. 

 These arrangements represent the expenditure of considerable 

 labour ; but, while one realizes the interest attaching to the process 

 of elaboration, it is difficult to regard them otherwise than as a sort 

 of botanical exercise. The student who is able to use any one of 

 these systems could quite well avail himself of the more scientific 

 system of a good British Flora — more scientific because the general 

 aggregate of characters is its basis, while by its use the student 

 learns to appreciate the relative value of the individual factors. 

 We grant that it may be useful to run a grass down from vegetative 

 characters only, but so many of the characters are comparative, 

 that the system when we are dealing with individual and often 

 incomplete specimens is apt to fail at the crucial point, and practi- 

 cally in working with a limited flora like our own, a series of 

 carefully preserved and properly determined specimens for purpose 

 of comparison will be far more helpful than a tabular scheme. 

 And, after all, this is at least as scientific a method as one depending 

 on a single set of characters. 



In addition to the chapters on classification, there are several 

 on the general structure and biology of grasses, forming a useful 

 introduction to a more detailed study of the order. 



