I02 



NATURE 



[May 30, 1895 



indeed still is, to our German neighbours. But one can 

 liardly allow that the present volume rises above the rank 

 of a text-book, and of these we have plenty with us. Not 

 that it is intended to depreciate the value of Prof. Warm- 

 ing's book ; it is chietly the question whether an increase 

 of this particular kind of book is just now wanted at all, 

 whilst there is no question whatever but that a genuine 

 ' hand-book " is verj- much needed indeed. As far as the 

 work goes it is very good, .at least in its manner of deal- 

 ing with the Angiospemis, but it does not go far enough. 

 Thus the order Cucurbitacea;, as an example taken at 

 random, is dismissed with something less than four pages, 

 and yet the plants included in this order abound in interest- 

 ing characters. To treat these and others of a similar 

 nature in a brief dogmatic fashion is to abandon the most 

 interesting side of the subject, to say nothing of the 

 educational opportunities which have been missed. But 

 notwithstanding these features of the work, which, pro- 

 fessing as -it does to be a hand-book, appear to us to be 

 serious defects, we readily admit that, taken as a whole, 

 the account given of the flowering plants is one of the best 

 existing in the English language. The lower groups of 

 plants are less satisfactorily dealt with. In the Fungi, 

 the general method of arrangement followed is that 

 based on Brefcld's researches, but the difficulties con- 

 nected with Erenuiscus are not touched upon. It may be 

 doubted whether the student will gain a ver)' clear idea 

 of Oidia, which, he is told, must be distinguished from 

 " true chlamydospores." The definition runs thus : " The 

 former < Oidia}^ are more simple, the latter are somewhat 

 more differentiated form of carpophore fundaments, 

 which serve for propagation in the same manner as 

 spores." But exactly wherein the difference really consists 

 we seek in vain to find. A purist might object to the ex- 

 pression " brand "-fungi, which is used instead of the 

 more familiar one of smut-fungi ; a practical farmer, in 

 this countr)' at least, would also probably smile at the 

 description given of the method of application of blue 

 vitriol as a preventative of the disease caused by these 

 organisms in cereal crops. 



The treatment of the Muscina; strikes us as far too 

 cursor)', especially in regard to the considerable amount 

 of work recently done in connection with these plants. 

 The brief statement of Celakovsk/s view as to the homo- 

 logy of the moss sporogonium is only calculated to con- 

 fuse the mind of a student by introducing purely idealistic 

 notions, and its value without a full explanation is 

 absolutely inappreciable. The catalogue of "orders" 

 of mosses, given on pp. 196-197, is also particularly 

 depressing. 



The treatment of the vascular crj'ptogams is decidedly 

 weak, and this is the more surprising, considering the 

 activity which has long been displayed in the investigation 

 of this division of plants. The general description of the 

 embryo, given on p. 201, only applies to a (c\\ families, 

 and is not by any nieans true for most of the groups. 

 Again the usual mistake is made as regards the sporan- 

 gium of Isoetes, which is stated to be divided into "com- 

 partments one above another " ; the fact, of course, being 

 that it is not divided into "compartments" at all, as an 

 inspection of a tangential section will suffice to show. 



It is surprising, in a work issued in 1895, to find the 

 old erroneous description of the germination of the 

 NO. 1335, VOL. 52] 



gymnosperm pollen-grain still maintained. We note, 

 however, with satisfaction that a popular mistake (which 

 appears also in the text) is corrected in an editorial note, 

 in which it is rightly stated that Cycads commonly tio 

 branch in a state of nature. 



From what has been said, it will be clear that the treat- 

 ment of the lower plants is inadequate, and it is to be 

 regretted that Prof Potter did not see his way to using 

 his editorial discretion more freely. It is, however, easy 

 I to find fault with most books ; but we have already said 

 ' that, as regards the latter half of the volume, it is deserv- 

 ing of commendation, and we may .idd that it is well 

 illustrated, and that, further, it contains, in the form of 

 an appendix by Prof Potter, a brief account of the chief 

 methods of classification which have been used in arrang- 

 ing the members of the \ cgctablc kint;(ioiii. 



OCR BOOK SHELF. 



The Noxious and Beneficial Insects of the State 0/ Illinois. 

 Eighteenth Report of the State Entomologist. 

 -Seventh Report of S. A. Forbes. For the years 

 1891 .ind 1892. (Springfield, III., U.S.A., 1894.) 



This report is mainly devoted to insect attacks affecting 

 " Indian corn " (sometimes known with us as " maize," 

 in the U.S.A. shortly as " corn "), and coming from the 

 trustworthy and wcll-qualificd pen of Prof Forbes, will be 

 of much service in the country of the crop dealt with, and, 

 in points noticed regarding such of these " pests " as are 

 of ven' similar habits with our own, may be studied here 

 with much advantage. 



The " Mimograph of Insect Injuries to Indian Corn 

 extends to 165 pages, dealing with insects of very various 

 kinds, including amongst them what, without entering 

 here on their scientific appellations, may be generally 

 described as ants of various kinds ; beetles, including 

 allies of our turnip flea beetle, wireworms, with click 

 beetle parents, and chafers, with their grubs (truly noted 

 as " the imniemorial enemies of agriculture on both sides 

 of the .Atlantic ") ; aphides, or plant lice of \ arious kinds, 

 and some other insects. 



The information is the result often years' investigation 

 of the economic entomology of the Indian corn plant by 

 the official entomologist of Illinois, joined to such ad- 

 ditions from published matter as it appeared desirable to 

 embody with his original oljscrvations ; and in the word?, 

 of the writer, whilst a portion of the information is such .is 

 he hopes will be " intelligible and practically useful to the 

 actual tiller of the soil," he has also incorporated with this, 

 for "the speci.il Ijeneritof the entomologist, more detailed 

 and thorough-going discussions of the insects themselves, 

 and of their life-histories, habits, and injuries, together 

 with descriptions of the species in all stages as yet 

 recognised." 



These minute descriptions, especially of the early stages 

 (so import.int to the economic entomologist, and so 

 difficult, too often, to obtain) in themselves give the work 

 a high value, and in the practical part there is much to 

 be studied with great benefit. To give a single instance — 

 the indifference of wireworms to various kinds of poisons 

 prepared for their consumption on seed pliueil fur their 

 use ''p. 49). 



The rei)ort is greatly to be recommended to the study 

 of economic entomologists, and its value is added to In 

 fifteen well-executed full-page plates of many of (he inserts 

 referred to, also by ;in exhaustive index of thirteen pages, 

 so complete and well arranged as in some instances almost 

 to give headings for a life-history of the insect referred to. 



E. A. f) 



