KNo\vij;nr.i:. 



May. lf)12. 



uiiioiiK tlic stars, with a. sparser reKi<»i oiitsidi; il ; (iil a certain 

 amount of " foR " in space reiliiciiiK the liKht of the more 

 distant stars. This idea is slronnlv advocated in the book, 

 tlioiigh the author has subscqiienlly receded somewhat from 

 this position, considering' that it indicates actual structural 

 arrangement in the sidereal universe. 



It is rather startling to find th.it we cm actually test how 

 the telescope was focusseil by ccniiititiK the numbers of stars 

 in different regions on a large number of plates. It is usual 

 to focus for a ring .about midway between the centre and the 

 edges, and if so. the star density on the plates is greatest in 

 this ring. 



The very practical detail of cost of taking and measuring 

 the plates and publishing the results is dealt with, and the 

 necessity for moderation in the number and accuracy of the 

 measures is insisted on. if the completion of the project is not 

 to be indefinitely del.aycd. Oxford and Greenwich have 

 finished their portions, but many of the smaller observatories 

 are a long way behind. As one of the main objects of the 

 scheme is to complete the survey of the heavens in a reason- 

 able time, and repeat it after a term of years, so as to find the 

 proper motions of the stars, this delay, due to too ambitious 

 ideals, is a serious matter. 



Other interesting matters touched on are the Eros Campaign 

 in 1900-01 for deducing the Sun's distance, and the discovery 

 of Nova Geminorum, of 1903, on the Oxford plates. The 

 whole book is written in a fluent and easy style, and should be 

 read by all who desire to gain an insight into the great 

 astrographic scheme, which is bound to loom very large when 

 the history of the astronomy of our times comes to be written. 



.A. C. D. C. 

 HOT.ANV. 



nicinf Life on Land. — \iy F. O. Bowrr, Sc.D.. F.K.S. 

 172 pages. 27 figures. 6i-in. X44-in. 



(Cambridge University Press. Price 1 - net.) 

 The title of this little book is practically a paraphrase of 

 that of Professor Bower's recent great work — " The Origin of 

 a Land l-'lora." The author has, however, made no attempt 

 at producing a summary of the latter, but has presented a 

 series of separate essays, which at first sight may appear to be 

 connected by a somewhat slender thread. Still, the connect- 

 ing theme is readily traced, especially by readers familiar with 

 the striking theories and generalisations with the exposition 

 of which the author's name is associated. It is hardly 

 necessary to say that everyone interested in plant life should 

 read this little book, which is written in a most attractive 

 style. For those who wish to go more deeply into the subject 

 it will serve as an introduction to the study of the author's 

 larger work, one of the most important contributions to 



botanical literature in recent vears. ^ ,, 



r.C. 



Links with the Past in the I'lant World.— \iy \. C. 

 Skwaki), M..'\.. F.R.S. 142 pages. 20 figures. 

 6i-in.X4:i-in. 

 (Cambridge University Press. Price 1 - net.) 

 The author of this most readable and interesting book has 

 hit upon a capital method of approaching the study of ancient 

 plants from that of existmg species, and deals largely with 

 certain types and groups which have survived from early times 

 to the present day. The first four chapters, on the longevity 

 of trees, the geographical distribution of plants, the geological 

 record, and the preservation of plants as fossils, are simply 

 packed with information, while written in the author's usual 

 lucid and scholarly style and therefore avoiding the least 

 semblance of compression. Much of the matter contained in 

 these chapters has been gleamed from sources outside the 

 usual range of the bot.inical student's re.iding. giving a 

 welcome freshness of treatment to f.uniliar topics. The rest 

 of the book is concerned with such present-day types and 

 groups as have outstanding cl.iims of long descent, and with 

 their importance in relation to the great dominant groups in 

 the veget.ation of the remote past. We have but one fault to 

 find with the last two chapters, dealing with the .Vraucariaceae 



and with (linli^o. on which the author has done so much 

 research work — these chapters are far too short. But then 

 the same might be said of the book as a whole! 



F. C. 

 Plant Life. — By E. Warming ; translated by M. M. Kehli.ng 

 .and !•:. M. Thomas. 244 pages. 249 figures. 7in.y5-in. 



(George .Allen & Co. Price 4 h net. I 

 The launching of still another elementary text-book of 

 Botany upon the well-stocked market is an enterprise that 

 re(|uires some justification in these days, and this is especially 

 the case when the book has been translated from a foreign 

 language. However, there can be no doubt that many 

 students and teachers will welcome Professor Warming's 

 book, which has many admirable features and presents in 

 many respects the excellent (jualities which have made some 

 of his larger works acceptable in various languages besides the 

 original Danish. The present translation, however, might 

 have been improved by a good deal of pruning and modifica- 

 tion, in order to adapt it better to use in this country. It 

 .ippears somewhat feeble to translate matter which is (|uite 

 irrelevant so far as English readers are concerned, as. for 

 instance, the three species of .Anemone taken at the beginning 

 of the chapter on classification, or the chapter on Danish 

 plant-formations. True, the translator's notes indicate that 

 these parts of the book are not applicable to this country, but 

 it would have been nmch better to " naturalise " the book by 

 incorporating suitable matter. However, a good many little 

 points betray the lack of that thorough knowledge of the 

 subject which would have enabled the translators to attempt 

 this naturalisation process with success, so perhaps things are 

 just as well as they are. There are some misprints, and 

 I'igure 24.i is upside-down. 



F. C. 



Phnit Physiology. -By B. M. Dlggak. I'li. D. .Sid pages. 

 144 figures. 7i-in. X 5A-in. 

 (Macmillan & Co. Price 7 ■ net.) 

 This handy manual contains an immense atnount of care- 

 fully compiled and well-selected information, and is about the 

 best of the smaller textbooks of plant physiology that we have 

 yet seen. Though specially adapted for the use of students of 

 agriculture and horticulture, it is a book which the purely 

 botanical studei.t may use with decided advantage, while its 

 direct and simple style of presenting the subject should attract 

 an even wider circle of readers. A valuable feature of the 

 book is the list of references to literature given at the end of 

 each chapter, indicating the sources from which the latest and 

 most detailed information on each topic may be obtained. As 

 the autlior justly claims, a subject like plant physiology gains 

 decidedly in interest when the illustrations are drawn largely 

 from plants whicli are familiar and useful, and the relations of 

 this science to plant production are kept in view throughout. 

 The book is thoroughly up-to-date, as is shown by the treat- 

 ment of such topics as balanced solutions, etherization, light- 

 perception organs, and so on. ,. , 



The l-'oi\st Trees of /iri7,n//.— By the late Rev. C. A. 

 Johns. Tenth edition, revised by G. S. Boulger. I'.L.S., 

 F.G.S. 431 pages. 16 coloured plates and numerous other 



figures in the text. S-in.X 5.}-in. 

 (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Price 6 - net.) 

 Although this book was published originally in 1869. the 

 (editor of the present re-issue has thought it best to present 

 the work very much as the author left it. The result is that, 

 while a book like this cannot possibly challenge comparison 

 with the many excellent works on Britisli tri-es which have 

 appeared in recent years, il is still eniiuenlly readable and 

 interesting. Some of the old cuts are exceedingly poor and 

 often quite unrecognisable, but some good photographic illus- 

 trations have been added in this reprint. This volume is a 

 perfect mine of ipiaint and curious facts and fancies about 

 trees, and forms .m interesting supplement to more scientific 

 works from which the sort of inforni.itiou compiled by Johns 



