November 23, 1908 75 
There are many radical changes from previous editions, but 
all apparently are along the line of progress and should be wel- 
comed by all botanists. Many, if not all of these changes are 
due to the adoption of the year 1753 as the starting point for 
binomial nomenclature, and the use of the first published spe- 
cific name instead of the name first published nnder the genus. 
Some few may object to these changes, at least they have done 
so in the past when persons with whom they were not in sym- 
pathy made similar changes, but the botanical world is now 
practically a unit in supporting this just and only rational pro- 
cedure. 
One of the most useful features is the incorporation of what 
we are accustomed to term “modern” keys. That is, a key 
which placed in front of the species in a genus, at once locates 
the species by some distinguishing character. Our only regret 
is that such keys do not accompany ad/ of the genera, for their 
use throughout would greatly enhance the usefulness of the 
book. 
There are certain features, due mainly to an observing of 
the rules, both good and bad, of the Vienna Congress, which 
will not meet with the approval of a great body of American 
botanists, and while these points of difference are very import- 
ant, the adherence to what many of us consider improper legis- 
lation, in no way effects the value of the book. We can do no 
better than to again say that it is an admirable piece of work, 
and that the authors deserve great credit for the production of 
this, the best Gray’s Manual ever issued.— A. A. HELLER. 
