^.^ 



NATURE 



[September 17, 1914 



should not be used, or the entire flora, including 

 the lower cryptogams, should be dealt with. 



(3, 4) Like the previous volumes with photo- 

 graphs in colour of British wild flowering-plants 

 by Mr. Corke, and descriptions by Mr. Nuttall, 

 these two series are extremely attractive books, 

 though the text is, as before, less arresting than 

 the plates, most of the latter being remarkably 

 fine. The work is, however, intended for popular 

 reading, and that it serves a useful purpose is 

 shown by the mere fact that seven volumes, 

 dealing with upwards of two hundred species, 

 have now been issued. The number of the volume 

 is indicated in each case by the curious device of 

 a constellation of asterisks below the authors' 

 names on the outside cover, but surely ordinary 

 type would have been better than this. It is to 

 be hoped that the authors will, in the further 

 volumes of this series, include various flowering 

 plants which, though devoid of conspicuous 

 flowers and therefore less suitable perhaps for 

 colour photographs, are of interest in other ways, 

 as showing special adaptations of the vegetative 

 organs for life in special habitats; if a few such 

 plants were treated in each volume, the value of 

 the latter for the drawing-room table would not 

 be appreciably lessened, while their usefulness in 

 other ways would be enhanced. 



(5) The general get-up of this book, the post- 

 impressionist style of a considerable proportion of 

 text and coloured illustrations alike, and the 

 extraordinary badness of the black-and-white 

 figures, all combine to produce a loose, untidy 

 effect which is evidently intentional, and intended 

 for something very fine and striking, which some- 

 how misses fire. The text is often sprightly and 

 readable for a while, than one comes across pages 

 of rhapsody and rubbish ; sometimes we get really 

 good observations and new points of view, but 

 soon we are back to loose writing and absurd 

 mistakes in the most elementary facts of plant and 

 animal life. The book consists of a series of 

 essays on a variety of topics more or less relating 

 to the phenomena of springtime, and most of 

 them give the impression of having been ex- 

 panded, often by the interpolation of long bits 

 of poetry, from articles written for the newspaper 

 I ress and kept within bounds by the exigencies 

 of space in their original form. Much of the text 

 IS slovenly, will not bear parsing, to say nothing 

 of scientific criticism; but probably it is only 

 through careless proof-reading that the authors, 

 after asking what are the most hackneyed lines 

 on springtime, proceed to quote "Browning's 'O 

 to be England,'" adding that "the lines are 

 trite" — but any lines can be made less so when 

 suitably treated. 



NO. 2342, VOL. 94] 



(6) Here again the subject is spring, but with 

 a difference. Mr. Bowles writes as one having 

 authority on all gardening matters, and here he 

 is perhaps at his best. He takes us through the 

 kaleidoscopic pageant of spring in his garden, 

 acting as guide, philosopher, and friend, drop- 

 ping casually many valuable hints for those of 

 his readers who would aspire to possess a garden 

 with even a tithe of the rich collection he has 

 brought together in his, and relating some 

 amusing stories on the way. One of his chapter 

 titles is somewhat startling — "The Lunatic 

 Asylum " — and made us apprehensive of an- 

 other excursion into very wild life, but after all 

 it was only a piece of wild garden and the many 

 and varied plants that were allowed to riot in 

 it, so by way of "Tom Tiddler's Ground " we are 

 brought back again into the Iris Walk, the Rock 

 Garden, and so, with regret, to "The Culmina- 

 tion of Spring " and the end of a thoroughly 

 delightful conducted tour. F. C. 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 



Marine Engineering (a Text-book). By Engineer- 

 Captain A. E. Tompkins. Fourth edition, re- 

 vised and partly rewritten. Pp. viii + 812. 

 (London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1914-) 

 Price 155. net. 



During the six years which have elapsed since 

 the publication of the third edition of this book, 

 marine engineering has made great progress; 

 and the author has taken the opportunity of bring- 

 ing the present edition up to date. Thus we find 

 new matter giving account of recent turbine prac- 

 tice, including the power transmission and speed- 

 reduction devices of Parsons, Fottinger, and 

 others. The sections dealing with the internal 

 combustion engine are now fairly representative 

 of modern practice, and contain descriptions of 

 both two-stroke and four-stroke Diesel engines. 

 A great deal of attention has been given to con- 

 denser plants during the past few years, and the 

 author has not overlooked the work and experi- 

 ments of Mr. D. B. Morison, Dr. Weighton, and 

 Messrs. Weir. The section on the use of liquid 

 fuel in boiler furnaces is also very complete. 



The book is intended primarily for sea-going 

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 who can bear testimony to the value of the pre- 

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 its present form. The descriptions and drawings 

 are exceptional for their clearness, and while the 

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 sufficient of the theory is stated in all cases to 

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 sections dealing with care and management of 

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 I engineer of the watch, are very useful, and will 

 I be of service to other than marine engineers. 



