253 



NOTICES OF BOOKS, 



Anyials of Botany. Edited by I. B. Balfour, S. H. Vines, and 

 W. G. Farlow. Vol. II., No. vni. 8vo, pp. 393-436, Ixi.- 

 cxxxviii. Price 7s. M. Vol. III., No. ix. 8yo, pp. 134, 

 tt. 7. Price lis. Qd. Oxford : Clarendon Press. 



The latest issue, wliicli, although dated February, did not 

 make its appearance until the last days of June, completes the 

 second volume of this handsomely printed addition to our periodical 

 literature. It contains little more than a hundred pages of letter- 

 press, the greater part of which is devoted to a "Kecord of Current 

 Literature" for 1888, the remainder being occupied by a "Botanical 

 Necrology" for the same year. There are no original contributions 

 in the number, and the cost seems somewhat excessive. 



It must be admitted, however, that, if the food be meagre and 

 not too well served, there is an imposing array of cooks. The 

 Editors have received assistance in almost every "necrology" from 

 distinguished botanists of various lands, and even with this help, 

 their modesty has rendered them unequal to the mere work of 

 editing, without "great assistance" from Mr. George Murray. 

 Since the days of the "ministry of all the talents," surely no such 

 display of genius has been concentrated to produce so small a 

 result ; we must go further back for a parallel — as far, mdeed, as 

 the days when the mountain brought forth the mouse. 



Two years ago, we criticised the first instalment of the " Eecord 

 of Current Literature."* Every fault which we then pointed 

 out is still manifest. The list of "Books and Pamphlets," arranged 

 under the authors' names, seems to have been planned so as to give 

 as little information as possible : neither the size or extent of 

 the works is indicated ; the place of publication, even, is not always 

 given — the publisher and price, never ; and puzzling entries, such 

 as "Wood, Illustrated Natural History (in 15 parts). Part i. 

 London" are to be met with.f In the "Periodical Literature," as 

 before, no initials are given ; misprints, though less abundant than 

 of yore, are still frequent ; no attempt is made to distinguish 

 between different men bearing the same name, like the Bakers and 

 Bennetts. There is a deliberate falsification of date by the in- 

 clusion of No. VII. of the 'Annals' among 1888 publications, for 

 although dated "Nov. 1888," it did not appear until January of 

 this year. There is no attempt at an index to the varied contents, 

 not even a list of the periodicals cited : as an example of much 

 labour to little purpose, this Piecord could hardly be surpassed. 



The "necrology " is more useful ; but the Editors have contrived 

 to render it as little so as possible, and a lack of consistency is manifest 

 throughout. Thus, in the Bibliography of Asa Gray, this Journal 



* Journ. Bot. 1887, 316. 



t This probably means that the work, when completed, will consist of 

 15 parts, and that part i. has been issued. But it is merely a reissue of a 

 very well-known work, and has no more to do with botany than mathematics 

 Do the Editors suppose that this is an anonymous treatise on Timber? 



