196 



NATURE 



[December 28, 1893 



complete to that date, in genera and species. With 

 these modifications, we see no reason why, with two 

 supplementary volumes to contain all the Ascomycetes, 

 the five volumes might not be accepted as a fair approxi- 

 mation to a " British Fungus Flora." 



As far as the Basidiomycetes are concerned, and these 

 will occupy half the bulk of the volumes, even if ex- 

 ^'ided to five, it will be conceded that they are of the 

 greatest interest to the largest number of persons, and, 

 moreover, that they are treated with all the fulness that 

 such an important section demands. We cannot help 

 regretting, however, whenever we are called upon to use 

 the book, that the sequence of families and genera were 

 inverted. The ample descriptions, under each species, 

 will nevertheless atone for much, and justify the appro - 

 priation of half the volumes to their service. 



The 220 pages which are devoted to the Hyphomycetes 

 (or moulds), will be especially welcome to students of 

 microscopical fungi, not only because they are arranged 

 according to the most recent system — that proposed by 

 Saccardo — but also on account of the very useful figures 

 illustrative of the several genera. In our opinion, these 

 are the most successful of the illustrations yet included in 

 the present work. It v/ould have been a great achi eve- 

 ment, had it been possible, so to hive increased the 

 number of these little outline figures, as to have included 

 every one of the species included in the Flora. As to 

 substantial accuracy, that must, to a large extent, be 

 accepted on trust, since the practical use can be the 

 only test of the merits of the text-book, and its demerits 

 — if any. 



We can now estimate the number of British species, 

 and see how they are provided for in this Flora, or may 

 hereafter be included, viz. : — 



1290 



Total 5523 



The above estimates of the Ascomycetes, at 1570, are 

 only approximate, and probably below, rather than above, 

 the actual number. Hence therefore the total con- 

 tents of the four or five volumes, as the case may be, 

 would not be less than 4200 species, and the absolute 

 total of all British recorded Fungi upwards of 5500 

 species, as compared with the 2809 of Cookes " Hand- 

 book'' in 1871, or a duplication in twenty-two years. 

 This fact is a sufficient justification for the publication 

 of the present work. 



i& We need not repeat our general commendation, as 

 expressed in our first notice, except perhaps to intimate 

 that in all respects the second and third volumes are up 

 to the level of the first, and justify the confidence reposed 

 NO. [261, VOL. 49] 



by the publishers, and ourselves, in the author to whom 

 such an important work has been entrusted. It would 

 be folly to pret end that it is absolutely perfect, but the 

 errors of judgment, or execution, are not such as to 

 detract from the general utility of the most pretentious 

 and important work which Mr. Massee has yet 

 attempted. :\I. C. CoOKE. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



So7)ie Salient Points in the Scieiice of the Earth. By Sir 

 J. William Dawson, F.R.S. Pp. 499, with 46 illustra- 

 tions. Svo. (London : Hodder and Stoughton.) 

 This volume will have a melancholy interest, especially 

 for the older geologists; for the author says that it "is 

 intended as a closing deliverance on some of the more 

 important questions of geology, on the part of a veteran 

 worker, conversant in hisyounger days with those giants of 

 the last generation, who, in the heroic age of geological 

 science, piled up the mountains on which it is now the 

 privilege of their successors to stand." We must bear in 

 mind this implied limitation,that the heroic age of geology 

 is now past, and must treat the volume before us as con- 

 taining an account of researches and speculations made 

 during the lifetime of a bygone generation. It is, in fact,, 

 a sort of scientific autobiography, touched up here and 

 there to agree with recent research, but not claiming 

 authority as an epitome of the present state of our 

 knowledge. 



Few chapters in the history of geology are so fasci- 

 nating as Lyell's account of the discovery, by Principal 

 Dawson and himself, of the wonderful series of remains 

 from the coal field of Nova Scotia. It reads like the story 

 of the exploration of a new country. We seem to walk 

 among the strange vegetation of the coal ; we see the 

 larger reptiles crawling over and leaving trails in the soft 

 mud ; and on the dry land we help to pull to pieces one 

 of the hollow trees, and find within it a number of land 

 animals, all new to science. We can understand how 

 these discoveries came as a complete surprise to the 

 scientific world in days when few or no reptiles were 

 known of earlier date than the Permian, and no land 

 mollusca earlier than the Eocene. Thereader will natur- 

 ally turn first to the chapters relating to the researches in 

 the coal measures, and it is probably on the observations 

 there recorded that the author's fame will principally rest. 

 Sir WiUiam Dawson's exploration of the coal measures 

 of Nova Scotia led him to devote particular attention to 

 the natural history of that period. He studied carefully 

 the physical conditions under which the strata were laid 

 down, devoting special attention to the formation of 

 underclays and to the origin of coal seams ; he still stands 

 up for the dry-soil origin of coal, and for its growth on the 

 spot. From the origin of coal it was a natural transition 

 to the coal-measure plants, and these the author has 

 worked at most industriously, though the present volume 

 only contains a summary of his researches. There is 

 also a chapter on the air-breathers of the coal, in which 

 the author gives an account of his explorations at South 

 Joggins. 



We do not much care for the chapters on the genesis 

 and migrations of plants, on the distribution of ani- 

 mals and plants as related to geographical and geo- 

 logical changes, and on Alpine and Arctic plants in 

 connection with geological history. In all such subjects 

 the author's strong bias against evolution in any form 

 leads him to use strange arguments. We do not wish, 

 however, to conclude this notice with a criticism of minor 

 points, and though unprepared altogether to praise Sir 

 William Dawson's volume, we thoroughly recognise how 

 much he has done for the science of geology, and we 

 gladly welcome in this handy form a short record of his 

 life's work. 



