60 



THE TRUE GRASSES. 



3500, are carefully described ; " many of the latter," says the pro- 

 spectus, "are new to science." In connection with these we fear 

 some difficulty may arise, as it is not clear what meaning Dr. Post 

 attaches to "sp. uov." For example, on reading '' Statice palmi/- 

 rensis, sp. nov.," one would think that plant was here first published; 

 but following the name is a reference to " Plautae Postian. fasc. iii. 

 p. 16" — in which pamphlet the species was included in 1892. It 

 IS hardly fair to demur to the omission of bibliographical references 

 to the species, but we think the author might have been more 

 explicit as to his own discoveries. " Atrijil ex Amanum 'Post,''' for 

 example, may either be a novelty here first published, or a species 

 previously described by him elsewhere ; and numerous species are 

 in this doubtful condition, notably among the addenda. The 

 Jackson of the future will need to examine the volume carefully, 

 lest he should overlook some of the novelties. 



Such Scriptural plants as can be identified with any degree of 

 certainty are noted in the text ; and the Arabic names, even the 

 most trivial, have been carefully collected. The descriptions of the 

 species seem to have been drawn up with care, mostly from living 

 specimens ; the distribution of each is briefly laut sufficiently indi- 

 cated. 



The cuts are the least satisfactory feature of the book. Allow- 

 ance must of course be made for the difficulties attending their 

 production, but it seems to us that they are selected on no principle, 

 and many of them are of very slight value. They must have added 

 considerably to the cost and trouble of production, without, as it 

 seems to us, adding materially to the usefulness of the book. But 

 Dr. Post is entitled to the thanks of botanists for this cheap and 

 convenient enumeration, and we trust that its sale will in some 

 measure compensate him for the time, trouble, and cost which he 

 has expended upon it. 



J. B. 



The True Grasses. By Eduard Hackel. Translated from Die 

 Natilrlichen Pjianzenfamillen by F. Lamson Scribner & Effie 

 A. SouTHwoRTH. Westminster : Constable. 1896. 8vo, 

 pp. viii, 228, tt. 110. Price 10s. 6d. 



Everyone who works seriously at Grasses knows Eduard 

 Hackel as the greatest living authority on the subject, and knows 

 that his account of the order in Engler & Prantl's Pfianzenfamilien 

 is the best and most scientific which has hitherto appeared. We 

 wish for the credit of the English publisher that that were the 

 extent of the student's knowledge. But anyone who preferred an 

 English translation has had it within his reach for the past six 

 years. A botanist who is particular as to the shade of green in 

 which his books are bound, or who prefers somewhat stouter boards, 

 will welcome Messrs. Constable's "new" and extensively advertised 

 volume. He who is not so fastidious will stick to Messrs. Holt's 

 publication of 1890. When we received by the penny post the 

 announcement of this "new" work, we expected at least an edition 

 brought up to date, which would take note of j-ecent and important 



