REVIEWS OF BOOKS. 165 



home or foreign growth, it will be invaluable. The list, which, as 

 has already been mentioned, is alphabetically arranged, contains 

 something like 750 different kinds of native and foreign woods, 

 and the descriptions of them are concise and clear. The Latin 

 names, too, have been accentuated, which is an undoubted 

 advantage. The author has, however, fallen into error in a few 

 instances in this part. For example, he states that the name 

 " Plane " is applied to Acer Pseudo-platanus in the south of Scot- 

 land ; but, as is well known, this tree is pretty generally known 

 all over Scotland and the north of England as " Plane." Under 

 "Service" he gives Pyrus Torminalis only; but the botanical 

 "Service "is a totally different plant, viz., Pyrus Sorbus, and it is 

 not clear that the term should be restricted to the wood of 

 P. Torminalis (which does not seem to be known in the timber 

 trade), seeing that in many parts of the country the " White 

 Beam " {Pyrus Aria), a much more common tree, is very 

 frequently termed "Service." " Gean " and "Bird Cherry" 

 are absent from the list of names, the former being described 

 under " Cherry," which the author indicates probably includes 

 " Bii'd Cherry " {Prunus Padus), a very doubtful suggestion. 

 Three species of Lime are given, viz., parvifolia, platyphyllos, and 

 argentea, while vulgaris, the commonest of all in Britain, receives 

 no place. " Snowy Mespilus," the name by which Amelanchier 

 canadensis is best known in Britain, does not appear, but the 

 same plant finds a place under the strictly American name "Shad 

 Bush." The timber known as " African Teak " [Oldfieldia 

 Africana) appears both in the list and in the index simply as 

 " African," and a number of blemishes of a similar kind occur 

 throughout this part. 



Three Appendices complete the work. The first contains 

 explanations of some of the terms used in connection with con- 

 verted timber, etc. ; but, curiously enough, the term " standard " 

 is omitted from the list. The second gives directions for the 

 microscopic examination of woods, and the third consists of a 

 select bibliography. 



Although, as has been indicated, the work is not free from 

 blemish, it is one which may be recommended with confidence 

 as a reliable source of information on mattei's pertaining to wood 

 and it should find a place in all libraries specially devoted to 

 the literature of forestry and allied subjects. A. D. R. 



