94 



NATURE 



[March 24, 1910 



infection of the seed, and the future development of 

 the fungus until the host reaches maturity. 



Numerous excellent figures illustrate the different 

 kinds of fungi isolated, also the progress of the fungus 

 from its first entrance into the seed. 



(3) An introduction to field mycology was a 

 desideratum, and, unfortunately, still remains to be 

 written. The present work is practically an imperfect 

 mycological vade mecum, attempting to deal with 

 every phase of the subject, instead of being confined to 

 an introduction to field mycology, as stated in the sub- 

 title. The first chapter deals with the general structure 

 and morphology, and has obviously been culled from 

 preceding works of very different dates, as some of 

 the information is up to date, some of historical inte- 

 rest only, and some inaccurate, as the statement that 

 in the Ascomycetes the paraphyses are probably abor- 

 tive asci. Immediately following this statement it is 

 announced that the paraphyses are a continuation of 

 the vegetative hyphae, which is a fact, and conse- 

 quently precludes the possibility of their being abortive 

 asci. Interesting chapters on the dispersal of spores, 

 parasitism, habitats, &c., follow. The remarks anent 

 edible and poisonous species consist of platitudes, and 

 leave the student in doubt. The Jew's ear is not an 

 esteemed esculent in some countries, but Hirneola 

 Polytrichi, an allied species, is. 



Coming to the essential portion of the book, it is 

 at once apparent that the author is one of those who 

 consider that the name of a fungus is a point of 

 primary importance ; in fact, there is but little indica- 

 tion that anything else is of any importance. In 

 dealing with the systematic side of a subject, it is 

 universally conceded that the student should be first 

 introduced to the primary groups, and approach by 

 degrees to entities or species. The reverse order, how- 

 ever, is followed in the work under consideration. 

 Families and genera are simply dealt with briefly by 

 a key system, which the beginner cannot possibly 

 grasp, whereas the species are described in detail, the 

 result being that if the species are recognised at all, 

 it will be by a rule-of-thumb method, and his know- 

 ledge of affinities will remain at zero. Experience has 

 shown that when a student commences the study of 

 mycology by dealing first with individual species, his 

 knowledge rarely extends beyond recognising a given 

 fungus by name. It is doubtless the same in other 

 branches of science. 



The specific descriptions are very uneven, some 

 being technical and beyond the grasp of the beginner ; 

 others are altogether inadequate, whereas in the 

 Ascomycetes no mention is made of the asci or spores, 

 the only features of real importance. The statement 

 that Bulgaria polymorpha, an ascigerous fungus, is 

 the conidial form of Ulocolla foliacea might be re- 

 garded as a slip if many other equally glaring mistakes 

 did not sugjrest lack of knowledge of the subject 

 undertaken. The illustrations are numerous, consist- 

 ing of sixteen coloured and thirty-two black-and-white 

 plates. Many of the figures are good, some are poor, 

 and some are mere parodies of the object they are 

 intended to represent. 



NO. 2108, VOL. 83] 



ELEMENT A R Y C HEM 1ST R Y. 

 (i) Elementary Chemistry. By Mollis Godfrey. Pp. 



xiv + 456. (New York and London : Longmans, 



Green and Co., 1909.) Price 45. 6d. net. 

 (2) Systematic Qualitative Atialysis. By Dr. R. M. 



Caven. Pp. xii+240. (London : Blackie and Son, 



Ltd., 1909.) Price 35. 6d. net. 

 (i)\l 7E have carefully read a considerable part of 

 VV Mr. Hollis Godfrey's book, and have re- 

 luctantly come to the conclusion that as an elementary 

 text-book it is not a complete success. It is true that 

 the book contains much useful information, vi'hich is 

 well arranged, that it is well printed and luxuriously 

 illustrated, and that its general appearance is attrac- 

 tive ; but the explanations are slovenly, the similes, 

 are childish, the historial references betray a curious 

 ignorance of the original memoirs, and many of the 

 illustrations, excellent though they are as photographs, 

 are peculiarly inept. 



We have, for example, a picture of an apple to re- 

 present "acids in nature," two views of a rather 

 nondescript landscape to illustrate "earth compounds," 

 a female haymaker looking at her watch with a hay- 

 cock in the background to explain atmospheric pres- 

 sure, another party of haymakers looking at a tiny 

 spot in one corner of the picture (a balloon presum- 

 ably) to indicate the lightness of hydrogen, and so on. 



A few extracts will illustrate the other points above 

 mentioned. "Chemistry is a science which explains 

 the every-day things of life" (p. 2). "There are 

 seventy or eighty different atoms " (p. 9), meaning, 

 of course, different kinds of atoms. As a kind of 

 corollary to this the author states that "since masses 

 are made by the union of molecules, there exist only 

 between seventy and eighty perfectly simple sub- 

 stances, &c.," forgetting a previous paragraph in which 

 he defines a hypothesis as a belief, and the more im- 

 portant fact that the elements would continue to exist 

 independently of any atomic hypothesis. 



The same kind of loose treatment is extended to 

 volume and weight. 



" If we have the same volume, the same size piece, 

 so to speak, we can tell at once whether one substance 

 is heavier or lighter than another. But unless we 

 have the same volumes we can tell very little about 

 it" (p. 23). 



Again, on p. 40, it is stated, 



"A hot-air balloon rises because the air within the 

 balloon bag heated by the flame, expands, grows less 

 in weight and so pulls the light envelope up." 



We have still to learn that dough rises owing to the 

 growth of the yeast cells (p. 281). The relation of 

 oxygen to ozone is compared to a man who disguises 

 himself and assumes another name when engaged in 

 crime. The catalytic action of manganese dioxide on 

 potassium chlorate is compared to a person working 

 in the dark and then in daylight. 



"The sun comes out and floods the room with 

 cheerful radiance. The man's hands work faster — 

 swifter and swifter grow his motions, &c." 



The references to the history of chemistry may be 

 illustrated by the following extracts. We are tolc 

 (p. 28). 



