November 25, 1909J 



NA TURE 



97 



now the favourite colour for these cattle, the ears of 

 which droop more than in the Mysore type. Although 

 probably less hardy than the Mysore breeds, these 

 cattle are unsurpassed for slow work, a pair, it is 

 stated, being^ capable of drawing a load of five tons. 

 The volume closes with a notice of the domesticated 

 buffaloes of southern India, special mention being 

 made of the Toda customs associated with the cult of 

 these animals. R. L. 



Plora of Cornwall. Bciiii; an Accoiitit of the Flower- 

 ing Plants and Ferns found in the County of 

 Cornivall, i)uludi>ig the Scilly Isles. By F. H. 

 Davey. Pp. lxxxviii + 570. (Penryn : F. Cheg- 

 widdcn, igoij.) Price 21s. net. 

 On account of its extreme situation, the mildness of 

 the climate, and the interesting rock formations, 

 notably round the Lizard, the county of Cornwall 

 e.xercises a great fascination for students interested in 

 natural history. It is rather strange, therefore, that 

 a county flora should only now be compiled, especially 

 ,is many botftnists — natives, aliens, and others — have 

 found it a profUable hunting ground. Six years ago 

 Mr. Davey publi>hed a preliminary list of plants 

 which was deserving of the title of a flora, but this 

 was only intended to form a basis for a more com- 

 plete survey and to arouse interest in the undertaking ; 

 the intention has been entirely successful, and the 

 author's subsequent labours, assisted by energetic and 

 ;ible co-workers, have culminated in the volume under 

 notice, in which the total number of plants is com- 

 puted at iiSo; and of these, 953 are considered to be 

 native. 



The greater part of the book is devoted to the 

 enumeration of species, with detailed list of localities 

 tor all but very common plants; in this matter the 

 author has been over-bountiful, and space could have 

 been saved by the elimination of the long list of 

 localities for certain species that are in no sense 

 critical, such as .Spiranllics autunDialis or Centrantluis 

 ruber. The number of species found in Cornwall, but 

 not recorded for any other county in Britain, amounts 

 1(1 twenty, while a comparison with Devonshire shows 

 ihat tifty-lhree i)lants growing in Cornwall have not 

 liien collected in Devonshire, as against 103 confined 

 111 the latter county. 



.\ considerable part of the introduction is given up 

 lo a history of botanists who have contributed to the 

 rounly records, and a few photographs of notable local 

 tiiitanists are included ; there is also a short account 

 iif eight botanical districts which are indicated on an 

 accompanying map, and a list of a few plants peculiar 

 tu each, but the author has not attempted an 

 iiological sketch of the chief formations. Among the 

 (Ornish botanists the best-known name is that of the 

 Rev. C. A. Johns, the autlior of "Flowers of the 

 Field" and " .\ Week at the Lizard," while William 

 Curnow, T. R. .Archer Briggs, and Richard Tellam 

 were even more zealous field workers. Mr. Davey, 

 luo, has added his quota of records, for which he 

 deserves to rank among the honoured list of local 

 botanists, as also for the strenuous work in connec- 

 tion with this publication. The volume is worthy to 

 r.ink with the standard county floras, more particularly 

 in the verification of records and critical compilation. 



77ic FAements of jlnimal Physiology. By Prof. W. A. 



Osborne. Pp. 152. (Melbourne : Thomas C. 



Lothian, 1909.) 

 TitF. size of this little book will indicate that it con- 

 tains a mere sketch of the large subject of which it 

 trc.-its. It is written for the purpose of supplying 

 non-medical readers with an introductory .account of 

 mammalian physiology, in the hope that they subse- 

 NO. 2091, VOL. 82] 



quently will take up the question more fully. Prof. 

 Osborne has in Melbourne to teach students of agri- 

 culture and veterinary science, in addition to those 

 who are taking full medical or science courses, and it 

 is to the former class of students that the work is 

 specially addressed. One can hardly doubt that agri- 

 culturists, especially in .Australia, where the breeding 

 of domestic animals forms such a large part of their 

 work, will benefit greatly if they have a rational sub- 

 stratum of physiological facts at their disposal. 



The book is trustworthy and free from errors ; it is 

 specially full on its biochemical side, which is wh.it 

 one would anticipate from Prof. Osborne's research 

 work. Complex questions, such as those dealing with 

 the nervous system, are treated with extreme brevity, 

 and this is to be regarded as judicious, seeing what 

 class of readers are specially catered for. Wo wish 

 the book the success it deserves. 



,1 Text-book of Experimental PItysioloi;v for Students 

 of Medicine. By Dr. N. 11. Alcock and Dr. F. O'B. 

 Ellison. With a preface by Prof. E. H. Starling, 

 F.R.S. Pp. xii + 139. (London: J. and A. 

 Churchill, 1909.) Price 5jr. net. 

 To some extent this little book is the outcome of a 

 conference of the London teachers of physiology. 

 They have for long felt that a revision of their prac- 

 tical courses was necessary, and the present work, 

 which is issued under the aegis of Prof. Starling, 

 indicates the kind of reform considered desirable. 

 One understands that in the future the practical 

 examinations in the University of London, at any 

 rate, will be largely modelled on the kind of course 

 here presented. The main underlying new idea is 

 that medical students should be taught physiology so 

 as to fit them for being, not expert pure physiologists, 

 but medical men with a knowledge of those portions 

 of the vast subject which will be immediately useful 

 to them in their study and treatment of diseased con- 

 ditions. The frog is therefore relegated to a position 

 of subsidiary importance, and as m;my experiments as 

 possible are given in which the mammal, and 

 especially man himself, is the corpus vile. It would 

 be ungracious at this stage to point out faults of 

 omission and commission of which the authors, Drs. 

 .Alcock and Ellison, have been guilty in their praise- 

 worthy attempt to carry out the new idea. It will 

 only be possible lo do so when the book has been tried 

 as a practical guide, and future editions will no 

 doubt, show various improvements, after the present 

 one has been subjected to this test. W. D. H. 



Elementary Photo-micrography. By Waller Bagshaw. 



Second edition. Pp. 103. (London : lliffe and 



Sons, Ltd., 1909.) Price 2i-. 6d. net. 

 Till! object of this little book is to .arouse interest in, 

 and give instruction to, those to whom such a study 

 would otherwise possibly appear far loo abstruse and 

 full of difliculty. It is most clearly and lucidly 

 written, and there is an evident desire to avoid un- 

 necessary detail. It would be easy to criticise and to 

 point out the many omissions of essential detail that 

 to an advanced worker are only too obvious; but it 

 must be admitted that for the beginner and intelli- 

 gent worker the instructions would prove, in the 

 majority of cases, ample. Nearly the whole of the 

 course of work suggested may be carried out with 

 simple apparatus : in fact, it is much to the credit of 

 tlic writer that simplicity, and the absence of any 

 recommend.-ition to use complex apparatus, is the key- 

 note of the entire book. It is perhaps lo be regretted 

 that, having gone so far, he has not in some direc- 

 tions slightlv extended the work. The instructions in 

 the use of the microscope itself are perlia])s uimeces- 



