318 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. [ Nov., 
to these matters of detail, and the wise teacher will use his own methods and 
cull out from all these laboratory guides the things that are adapted to his 
wants, We b believe in general biology, and think it should be more sere 
taught, and the book before us a well as an nl ai tion to the — 
tailed study of either plants or animals. The m = eee ge is to sta a the 
general Pyensiged nt biology, ilastrate them so fa ar ssible by la bOrRioes 
work, and then a detailed study of a single plan a et Aone. or thi 
reason a fern (Ptorie aquilina a) ‘ad an earth-worm are selected. Four chapters 
are devoted to the preliminary statement and illustration of principles, six to 
i ne i i : 
tion of an undigested mass of facts, and the student has in theend no clear con- 
ception of the relations of things, but t is simply results from the wrong use of 
i i i 
both in following the laboratory directions than any guide we have yet seen. 
The book is to be an Sp lendanto ory one, so introductory that the student is to be 
taught the use of the microscope, but the laboratory directions are so con- 
densed, many of the pobnations are so difficult, and, — than all, the material 
is so varied that it would tax ~ best equipped 1 aboratories and our best 
trained teachers to have a beginning class follow them. To save a constant 
supervision on the part of. the ‘Sardi and the almost impossible attempt to get 
together such vari ate we prefer explicit directions in laboratory work, 
ew types, and to leave to the teacher the task of enunciating principles 
be u t r a moment that we disappro e laborat 
rections, hey are excellent, very desirable to follow, and well illustrate the 
pri les of biolog riticism only raises the nas to th 2 
ability to introductory — and the average American laboratory. The figures 
of the re numerous, wel cuted, and refresh ew, and it would 
book Le 
be well if they could be an ir Soret to more numerous and better drawings in 
our laboratories. We commend this book to the —— attention - teachers, 
and feel confident that it is one that they can not afford to be wit : 
gr Fungi is desi mycetes). By the Rev. John nar a Vo "i IL Cortin- 
sh aeigtei tat a Edi corer urgh: Wm. Blackwood & Sons, 1886. pp- 335 
The se iar ay co oncluding volume of this work, neieLdeae ay the order on 
menomyceies, follows the first with remarkable and commendable promptn 
That they should both be issne within one thy was ster pected, but will give 
great satiataction to collec 
_ The first volume was ftioed and commended in the July number of th 
journal Heise a typographical error made the date read 1866 instead of gtk 
and only a few words need be added here, The sonoud volume conta 
