August 15, 1895] 



NATURE 



365 



is a " trivial detail,'' but Mr. Allen liasteiis to insist on 

 the importance of " living chlorophyll " as the "original 

 manufacturer and prime maker" of all the material of 

 life, either vegetable or animal. Evidently chlorophyll 

 is here doing duty for the alliance of chlorophyll with 

 a vastly more important substance, protoplasm, but the 

 author could hardly e.xpect " untechnical readers " to 

 appreciate this ; and his statement that chlorophyll is a 

 variety of protoplasm will certainly not meet with the 

 assent of botanists. Agam, the statement that " plants 

 alone know how to make protoplasm " is one Hhich is 

 contradicted, fortunately for us all, by the experience of 

 tiaily life ; in order, however, that we may be quite clear 

 as to the authors conception of protoplasm, he defines 

 it (in italics) as '■'■the only living material lue know" ; 

 and this w-ould seem to make it clear that he had not 

 by a lapsus calami written protoplasm when he meant 

 proteid. For a continuation of this subject, the critical 

 reader may refer to pp. 190- 191. 



When Mr. .Mien comes to deal with what we gather 

 from his preface he considers the most important part 

 of his work, we find evidences of hasty generalisations 

 on insufficiently ascertained facts. Many plants which 

 are certainly not degenerate, are regularly self-fertilised ; 

 and we submit that in most districts in England the 

 humble bee has far more to do with the fertilisation of 

 the TropH?olum than the Humming-bird hawk-moth ; and 

 this latter insect is certainly not the only one in Europe 

 capable of performing this office. 



But it is needless to multiply examples further. .-Ml 

 we can say is that those readers who are ignorant of 

 the real facts may find the book pleasant, though we can 

 hardly add profitable, reading. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



LmJs Clicinical Lecture Charts. (London : Sampson 



Low, Marston, and Co., 1895.) 

 This is a series of diagrams intended to illustrate various 

 chemical and metallurgical processes and apparatus, and 

 designed more especially for the use of teachers who are 

 preparing students for the examinations of the Science 

 and .Art Department, the London .Matriculation, Oxford 

 and Cambridge Local, iSrc. 



There is no doubt that a good set of useful diagrains, 

 of convenient size and moderate price, would be gladly 

 welcomed by a large number of teachers, but the charts 

 before us can scarcely be said to fulfil all the require- 

 ments of such a set of diagrams. The size of the sheets, 

 namely, 30 in. x 40 in., is sufficiently large for the 

 use of such classes as they are intended for, and it does 

 not render them too bulky for convenient storage. In 

 most cases the illustrations arc \ery roughly executed 

 enlargements of familiar cuts from various text-books 

 and treatises on chemistry, sometimes well chosen, some- 

 times not. Many of the sheets contain several pictures, 

 and where it happens that the subjects rc])resented are 

 in a manner related, this does not detract from their 

 merit, except in so far as it necessitates the illustrations 

 being smaller than if each occupied a single sheet. But 

 in a number of instances the subjects depicted on the 

 same diagram have no connection ; thus, on the same 

 sheet we find a representation of Hofmann's apparatus 

 for showing the volume composition of water, and illus- 

 trations of certain apparatus used l)y Dewar in making 

 experiments at low temperature. 



Again, another diagram contains the following illustra- : 

 tions : (1) Hofinann's apparatus for composition of sulphur 



NO. 1346, VOL. 52] 



dioxide ; (2) ozone apparatus ; (3) apparatus for composi- 

 tion of ammonia ; ("41 apparatus for composition of hydro- 

 chloric acid ; f, ( .Andrews' and Tait's ozone tube ; (6) 

 apparatus for composition of nitrous oxide ; (7) Smithell's 

 flame cone separator. With so many illustrations on one 

 sheet, 30 in. x 40 in., each one must be almost insig- 

 nificantly small, and quite erroneous ideas of the relative 

 sizes of various pieces of apparatus are likely to be con- 

 \eyed to the student. With some of the figures still 

 more serious exception must be taken ; thus. Fig. 2, 

 Sheet 14, depicts a piece of apparatus, the design of which 

 is of more than questionable feasibility ; while Fig. 2^ 

 Sheet 17, is an impossible arrangement. 



Many of the metallurgical figures are badly chosen. 

 Thus, the old method for extracting zinc, known as 

 " distillation per descensum," which has been quite ob- 

 solete for many years, is brought to life again in Diagram 

 No. I [. 



If these diagrams were a little better e.xecuted, and 

 could be purchased singly, they would be of much more 

 service to the general run of teachers, who could then 

 select from a catalogue such as they might require. 



C. S. X. 



Brasilische Pilzbltimen. \'on .Alfred Moller. Mit 8 

 Tafeln. (Jena : (iustav Fischer, 1895.) 



This volume fonns the seventh part of the " Botanische 

 Mittheilungen aus den Tropen," edited by Prof. 

 Schimper, of Bonn. The title — " Fungus-Flowers " — is 

 suggestive of a popular and aesthetic treatment of the 

 subject, but this impression is somewhat misleading, 

 for Dr. MoUefs work is of a strictly scientific character, 

 and appeals more especially to systematic mycologists. 

 .At the same time, the extraordinary forms of the Fungi 

 described give a considerable degree of general interest 

 to the book, which is enhanced by the pleasant style in 

 which the subject is treated. Dr. Moller is already well 

 known for his mycological in\estigations, particularly 

 for his fascinating work on the cultivation of Pungi by 

 South .American ants. The " Fungus-Flowers '' are 

 simply gastromycetous fungi of the family Phalloidea% 

 of which that repulsive plant the " Stinkhorn " {Ithy- 

 phalltis impudicus) is the best-known British represen- 

 tative. 



The author has been most fortunate in his investigation 

 of the remarkable Brazilian forms of this family, which 

 includes perhaps the most highly differentiated of the 

 Fung:i. He has founded no less that four new genera on 

 his discoveries. One of these {Protubera) is referred to 

 the Hymenogastrea-, and is of special interest, for it 

 appears to connect that family with Clathrus among the 

 Phalloidea*. The other new genera ilUiimena-'ia, Aporo- 

 phatlus^ and Itajaliya) are members of the Phalloidea-, 

 Hlumcnavia showmg affinity with Clathrus, while the 

 remaining two belong to the tribe Phalles. Eight new 

 species are described in all. 



The book is full of interesting details of the occurrence 

 and mode of growth of these Fungi. It is illustrated by 

 eight fine plates, many of the figures in which are from 

 photographs of the specimens, while others represent their 

 more minute structure. The first plate, a coloured re- 

 presentation of " the most remarkable of all Fungi," 

 Dictyophora phalloidea, is especially striking. This is 

 not one of the new species, but has never been adequately 

 figured before. This extraordinary fungus bears a general 

 resemblance to Ithypliallus, but is distinguished by the 

 presence of an immense net-like indusium surrounding 

 the stem, from which it stands out like a crinoline. The 

 German colonists at Blumenau have given it the name 

 of " the veiled lady." 



Dr. Mollcr's book will be indispensable to students 

 of mycology, and will no doubt attract more general 

 attention to a most interesting' group of plants, about 

 which much still remains to be discovered. L). H. S. 



