BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 23 



and most vari-surface county, is one that has bearings upon and 

 is apphcable in its factual incidences to many of the still larger 

 island areas of the Temperate zones. No source of science 

 delving into the facts of the past has been neglected ; the question 

 of ' fossil ' seeds in earthy deposits, ancient or more recent, as 

 well as sea-bed dredgings, etc., etc., which might throw light 

 upon the origins, and persistings or passings of its floral features 

 from century to century, has been systematically ' gone into,' and 

 made the basis of a classification which departs widely from 

 the worn, useless one of ' Natives,' ' Colonists ' and ' Aliens ' (for 

 all plants must, at some beginning have been the last at first, even 

 if the first at last in a usefully tentative view), while the autho- 

 rities for all assimilated lemmas of nationale will be found fully 

 acknowledged. The diction of a pen guided by a mind trained to 

 insight as regards the question at issue, combined with a ' free,' 

 ' popular ' style, such as has always marked the author, will, it is 

 believed, make the present work as distinct a step in advance as 

 the Flora of 1888 was over those of the Babingtonian Days to 

 which it succeeded." 



M. C. Howard has issued a third volume of his important 

 work, Les Zoocecidies des Plantes d'Eitrope, including those of 

 both shores of the Mediterranean (Hermann, Paris, price 10 francs), 

 which consists of a supplement representing the work on the 

 subject during 1909-12. No student of galls can afford to be 

 without this careful compilation, which contains numerous illus- 

 trations. There is an excellent bibliographical index, as well as 

 one of the plants mentioned as hosts. 



The chief interest, from the point of view of this Journal, of 

 Mr. Aubyn Trevor-Battye's handsome and attractive volume con- 

 taining accounts of his Gamjying in Crete (Witherby, 10s. 6d. net) 

 centres in the appendix devoted to a consideration of the Cretan 

 Flora, of which he gives a general view. The characteristic 

 features of the flora are enumerated, with special notes upon some 

 of the more interesting species, e. g. Acer creticum, of which the 

 leaf-modifications by environment are described. The notes on 

 the disposition of the forests, which are formed by Gupressus 

 sempervirens var. horizontalis, Quercus Ilex, Pinus halepensis and 

 P. Laricio are interesting : the author was much struck by the 

 mischief caused by forest fires, which destroy the seedling trees, 

 and made representations concerning this to the Government 

 Department concerned with the forests of the island, which it is 

 hoped may be attended with success. A list of the more con- 

 spicuous plants of the island and a brief bibliography bring the 

 botany of the volume to a close. It is to be regretted that the 

 proofs were not more carefully read : the names of plants are 

 frequently misspelt, nor is the carelessness confined to them — 

 e. g. Sibthorp's dates are given as i 573-91. The narrative which 

 forms the chief part of the volume is interestingly written, and is 

 enlivened with numerous illustrations. 



Mr. W. H. Johnson has compiled for use in connection with 

 the study of the principles of agriculture in West African schools 



