Current Literature. 407 



woods. Formerly veneer was made only from fine, expensive 

 furniture woods ; but now, there is hardly any species that is not 

 so used, Cottonwood, hemlock, Douglas fir, oak, yellow pine are 

 among those cited. 



B. E. F. 



Herbals: Their Origin and Evolution. A Chapter in the His- 

 tory of Botany, 1470-1670. By Dr. Agnes Archer. Cambridge 

 University Press, 1912. Pp. 253. Price los. 6d. 



There is no practical, but considerable historical interest in 

 this work, which brings us to the realization that botany, before 

 it became a science, was long treated from the practical point of 

 view. The herbals were the first botanical publications, usually 

 written by and from the standpoint of medical men. 



The first herbals, some with excellent illustrations, were printed 

 in Germany in the fifteenth century, but Mrs- Archer's work re- 

 fers mainly to those in other countries, Italy, Switzerland, the 

 Netherlands and France. 



While some of them were full of superstitions regarding the 

 medicinal value of herbs, the herbalists proper were "marked by 

 a healthy skepticism, which was in advance of their time." 



Lovers of antiquarian lore will find much entertainment in 

 this work. 



B. E. F. 



The Indigenous Trees of the Hazvmi-an Islands. By Joseph F. 

 Rock. Published under Patronage. Honolulu, 191 3. With 215 

 photo engravings. Price $6.60. 



There are one thousand or more tree species in the Hawaiian 

 Islands, but only some 300 are native, 80 per cent, of them peculiar 

 to this small group of islands. These the author has described 

 popularly as well as technically, giving also their habitat, uses, 

 properties, legends, and other interesting features. 



A number of species discovered by the writer are new to science. 



The systematic account of the species is preceded by an in- 

 troduction of 90 pages giving a detailed description of the floral 

 regions and forest types with ecological data. 



