NATURE 



[November 2, 191 1 



and then pursue their way north wards, crossing' the ' 

 Balkan Mouni;iiii^ into the plains of the Danube and 

 Russia, to rctuni ;iL^.iin in the autumn. And, of 

 course, for an ini|iiiiin^ naturalist a seaport town is I 

 always a di ^iial)lc place, lor here come sailors from I 

 foreign lands with talcs of strange birds .and beasts i 

 and plants, spicinicns of which they sometimes bring 

 iionii wiili iliiin. . . . We may be sure that young | 

 Arisidili' was c|iiiik to profit by these chances." 



\\'hat(\ii nia\ lia\r Ixcn the point in Aristotle's 

 career at uhi(-Ii the "History" was projected, there 

 can be little doubt that he was always taking such 

 opportunities as offered for making additions and 

 corrections. It is also reasonable to suppose that the 

 book as we have it may contain annotations by some 

 of his pupils. The treatises "De Partibus " and " De 

 Generatione " are shown by internal evidence to be 

 later as a whole than the "History." 



The present excellent translations will serve, it may 

 be hoped, to induce many students of the history of 

 biological knowledge to undertake an examination at 

 first hand of the works of this great scientific pioneer. 

 Aristotle suffers little by intelHgent translation, for his 

 excellence lies in the matter of his writings rather 

 than in their form. "The author himself," as Prof. 

 Piatt justly observes, "would have been the last man 

 in the world to complain of any sacrifice of graces 

 of style." Though the translators have no doubt 

 nearly always succeeded in "representing as exactly 

 as possible what Aristotle said or meant to say," it 

 must not be supposed that they have denied themselves 

 the use of good and vigorous English. Dr. Ogle's 

 translation of the " De Partibus " in especial (a revi- 

 sion of his former well-known version) is admirable 

 as a piece of literary workmanship. The notes of 

 all three translators are good and useful so far as they 

 go ; but to produce a completely annotated edition of 

 Aristotle's biological works in the light of modern 

 knowledge would be a task from which the boldest 

 might shrink. The typography and general get-up of 

 these volumes are all that could be desired, and are 

 worthy of the reputation of the Clarendon Press. It 

 should always be remembered with gratitude that their 

 publication is due to the generous provisions of the 

 will of the late Prof. Jowett. F. A. D, 



SOVTR AFRICAN ORCHIDS. 

 Icones Orchidearum Austro-Africanarum Extra-Tropi- 

 carum; or. Figures, with Descriptions of Extra- 

 Tropical South African Orchids. By Dr. Harry 

 Bolus. Vol. ii., pp. vi + 200+ioo plates. (London': 

 Wm. Wesley and Son, 191 1.) Price 2I. 2s. net. 

 nrO Dr. Bolus's many botanical friends this volume, 

 -L his last contribution to South African orchid- 

 ology, has a special interest. Its production was the 

 ostensible motive of his frequent journeys home during 

 the past few years, and the revision for the press of its 

 last few pages was completed on the eve of his death, 

 which occurred shortly after his arrival in England 

 early m the summer of the present year. The copies of 

 his book, distributed by his niece and co-worker, Miss 

 H. M. L. Kensit, are a fitting memento of the author 

 and of the important influence he exerted on the 

 progress of botanical exploration in South Africa. 

 NO. 2192, VOL. 881 



Bolus's botanical work was nor confined to the study 

 of the orchids. His \\id( and (tiiical knowledge of 

 the heaths is mihodied in his < untribution on that 

 family in llii- ' !• lora Capensis"; and his exten^ivl• 

 herbarimn, wliich imw pa--.- !w tlie South African 

 College, liens wilne--, to hi- ^i ni-ral knowledge of 

 the flora. lhi\ in- will probablv V>' lust jcnowii for his 

 careful studv of tin orchids, the results, of uhich a" 

 embodied in various papers, but especially in 

 volume on the "Orchids of the Cape Peninsula" a 

 the two volumes of the "Orchids of South Afric 

 the second of which is the subject of this notice. 



The plan of the book is uniform with that of vol. i., 

 which appeared in two parts (1893 and 1896 respec- 

 tlveh'). Excepting a few double plates and one on 

 which are figured two species of Mystacidium dis- 

 covered by, and dedicated to. Miss .Mice Pegler, of 

 Kentani, each of tin hundred plates is devoted to one 

 species; and the text consists of a corresponding num- 

 ber of quite separate technical descriptions. A 

 characteristic feature is the duplication of each descrip- 

 tion in Latin and English. The distribution of each 

 species Is indicated by a citation of localities with 

 collectors' names and numbers, and an indication is 

 given of the source or sources from which the actual 

 specimens figured were derived. The great majority 

 of the plates were drawn from living specimens by 

 Dr. Bolus himself, and the noting on the plate of the 

 exact date at which the drawing was made shows that 

 the material for the volume had been accumulating 

 for more than twenty years. The extended period of 

 preparation accounts for a slight want of uniformity of 

 treatment. A few of the plates are In black and 

 white ; In the greater number, however, colour is used 

 in proportions varying from the tinting of a simple 

 leaf or flower to the full-blown coloured plate, such 

 as that of Disa uni flora (plate 63). .Ml are alike 

 admirably clear, and include, In addition to the habit 

 illustration, careful detailed drawings of the parts of 

 the flower. 



The species figured and described represent nineteen 

 genera, but a large proportion are Included in the 

 typically South African genera, Disa, Satyrium, and 

 Eulophla. Some are well-known species ; a good pro- 

 portion were discovered and have been previously 

 described by Dr. Bolus, while a few, such as Eulophia 

 Pillansii and Mystacidium AUciac, are described here 

 for the first time. Some are of special Interest as 

 representing rediscovered species. For Instance, Disa 

 Telipogonis, Reichenb. f., a remarkable little plant 

 found by Berg on the summit of Table Mountain in 

 18 16, was rediscovered in the same locality by Miss 

 Kensit in 1904. The only other record of Its occur- 

 rence was from the mountains In the Wellington dis- 

 trict, where Dr. Schlechter found It In 1896, at a 

 somewhat lower elevation. 



A pleasing feature of Dr. Bolus's work Is the readi- 

 ness with which he gives credit wherever possible to 

 those who have helped In his work either by sending 

 specimens, or with their critical knowledge. Among 

 these helpers may be mentioned, besides Miss Kensit, 

 Dr. Schlechter, whose knowledge of the Cape orchids 

 was perhaps second only to that possessed by Dr. 

 Bolus, and Miss Alice Pegler, who has done good work 



