120 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Apr 



count of the morphology and biology of bacteria is excel- 

 lent although very much condensed. They hold it as ex- 

 tremely problematical that arthrosporous bacteria exist 

 among the lower forms. It is probably true that Hueppe 

 and DeBary did not sufficiently limit the existence of ar- 

 throspores among bacteria, but some forms undoubtedly 

 have arthrospores. According to the authors,b.icteria are 

 divided into the lower bacteria which include cocci, bacilli 

 and spirilli. The higher bacteria include the thread-like 

 forms more or less septate, and oftentimes surrounded by 

 a sheath. They adopt this classification because our knowl- 

 edge is too limited to allow a really natural arrangement. 

 While it is true that our knowledge of many forms is im- 

 perfect, it seems to the reviewer that the system of Migula 

 is preferable to the artificial groups established by Flugge 

 Muir and Ritchie, and others. The higher group of bac- 

 teria, of the authors includes undoubted fungi and should 

 be so regarded e. g. the Streptothrix actinomyces. It is 

 to be regretted that the authors failed to give due recogni- 

 tion to the American work. They have devoted consider- 

 able space to technique, and thismattercould not have been 

 arranged better. The part dealing with pathogenic organ- 

 isms is excellent, the literature has been thoroughly sifted 

 and the subject matter has been presented admirably. 

 Aside from these few short-comings it is one of our best 

 works on bacteriology. The illustrations are a special fea- 

 ture of the work and we can most heartily commend it to 

 all who desire to pursue the subject. — L. H. P. 



Lessons in Botany. — Prof G. E. Atkinson. Henry Holt 

 and Co., New York, p xv. 365. fig. 276. 



This new text book in botany, is anabbreviated and much 

 simplified edition of his elementary botany. Much of the 

 work has been re-written and is therefore better adapted 

 for secondary schools. The work is divided intothree parts. 

 The first deals with physiology, the second the morpholo- 

 gy and life history of representative flowering plants, the 

 third ecology. Laboratory exercises are arranged with 

 each topic in parts one and two. Excellent figures accom- 

 pany the various topics. A discussion of the homologies 



