September g, 1920] 



NATURE 



45 



Our Bookshelf. 



A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus. By 

 J. H. Maiden. Vol. ii., parts 8-10. Vol. iii., 

 parts 1-8. Vol. iv., parts i, 3, 5-10. (Parts 

 xviii.-xxviii., xxxi., xxxiii., xxxv.— xl. of the 

 complete work.) (Sydney : W. A. Guliick, 

 1913-20.) Price 2s. Cxi. per part. 



Australia, with an approximate area of 3,000,000 

 square miles, exhibits many peculiarities in its 

 flora, one of which is the presence of large genera 

 distributed practically throughout its full extent. 

 Noteworthy among these are Eucalyptus and 

 Acacia. Eucalyptus comprises species presenting 

 the largest trees of the country down to dwarf 

 bushes. Mr. Maiden's critical revision of the 

 genus Eucalyptus, of which the first part was 

 published in 1903, is now, we believe, approach- 

 ing completion with the fortieth part. Nearly 

 twenty years is a long time to wait for the ter- 

 mination of a work so greatly needed, yet the 

 author may well be excused, considering his multi- 

 farious duties as director of the Botanic Gardens 

 and Government domains ; but it is a case of 

 "better late than never." In spite of the pressure 

 of other matter, the author and Government 

 printers succeeded in publishing fourteen parts 

 during the actual war period. 



For the purposes of this monograph Mr. 

 Maiden visited Europe to compare his materials 

 with the type-specimens of the species published 

 by earlier European botanists. In fact, he spared 

 himself no trouble to reduce the complicated 

 synonymy of certain species. How far he has 

 succeeded can be discovered only by the student 

 of his great work. 



Mr. Maiden defines and figures upwards of 200 

 species. His illustrations are not artistic pictures, 

 but they are something better, as they repre- 

 sent the specific characters, and arc excellently 

 drawn. For Example, the leaves of many species 

 of Eucalyptus present a great variety in form in 

 the same species and even in the same individual. 

 The seed vessels, too, differ considerably in shape 

 in different individuals of the same species. These 

 peculiarities are faithfully reproduced, and the 

 origin of each figure is carefully indicated. 



Following the descriptions is a more or less 

 lengthy list of specimens belongine to the species 

 in question. Full synonymy, with references to 

 the place of publication, is given, and wc under- 

 stand that the author will deal with the classifica- 

 tion of the species, of hybridity, and of other 

 questions concerning the genus in a later part. 

 W. BOTTINC Hemsley. 



Annual Reports of the Society of Chemical In- 

 dustry on the Progress of Applied Chemistry. 

 Vol. iv. 1919. Pp. 632. (London : Society of 

 Chemical Indnstrv, iq20.) Price t2s. 6d. (non- 

 members . 



The first three volumes of the annual reports on 

 the progress of applied chemistry, issued by the 

 Society of Chemical Industry, suffered from the 



NO. 2654, VOL. 106] 



stress of war conditions under which they were 

 produced, and were inevitably incomplete in some 

 respects. In the volume for 1919, the fourth of 

 the series, the publication committee has, how- 

 ever, achieved its purpose of preparing a complete 

 conspectus of progress in the various branches of 

 applied chemistry. Moreover, some of the gaps 

 which occurred in previous volumes have now 

 been filled up. The subject of explosives is 

 dealt with for the first time, the extremely 

 interesting and valuable report covering the 

 period from the beginning of the war until the 

 end of 1919. The reports on ceramics, building 

 materials, and fermentation for 1918, which had 

 to be held over, appear together with the reports 

 for 1919, and a section dealing with analysis, 

 which was omitted from previous volumes, is also 

 included. 



The volume includes reports on progress during 

 1919 in practically all branches of chemical in- 

 dustry. The reports, although of necessity con- 

 densed, are generally both comprehensive and 

 complete, and the authors are to be congratulated 

 on the success with which they have accomplished 

 their laborious tasks. The volume will undoubt- 

 edly be of the utmost value to technologists, and 

 may fitly find a place on the library shelf beside 

 the annual report of the Chemical Society, to 

 which it is complementary. 



Cotton Spinning. By William Scott Taggart. 

 Vol. iii. Fifth edition. Pp. xxviii -t- 490. 

 (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1920.) 

 Price los. net. 



This well-known and authoritative work on 

 cotton spinning is published in three volumes. 

 It deals with all the processes up to carding; 

 with all appliances up to the end of the fly frame ; 

 and, finally, with the theory and processes of 

 spinning and with mill planning, including the 

 important subject of humidity. It has reached, 

 in vol. i., a sixth edition, and in vols. ii. and iii. 

 a fifth," which facts sufficiently mark the popu- 

 larity and authority of the treatise. Vol. iii. 

 has just been re-issued with important addi- 

 tions. The three volumes include no fewer than 

 543 detailed drawings descriptive of the sources 

 and characteristics of the cotton fibre and of its 

 treatment by means of the machinery through 

 which it passes until it emerges as marketable 

 yarn. They thus form a complete compendium 

 of the several stages of manufacture of this im- 

 portant textile. 



Vol. iii. deals especially with the treatment of 

 the fibre necessary to ensure uniformity in the 

 yarn and regularity of diameter and of length, 

 weight, and strength so vitally essential to the 

 production of a round, solid thread. Useful tables 

 of information are given relative to the indicated 

 horse-fjower required for the various machines, 

 etc. Much new matter is to be found in Appen- 

 dix ii., relating to gassing, costing, etc., and a 

 detailed index adds considerably to the value of 

 the volume. 



