204 The Botanical Gazette. 
numerous as the teachers. A late publication of this kind is that of 
r. E. R. Boyer,* instructor in biology in the Chicago schools, and his 
book is intended to stand for the work in biology in these very im- 
portant secondary schools. The book is primarily intended for those — 
schools that wish to offer a year of continuous work in a biological 
combination of zoology and botany, a thing which we do not believe 
in, but which is common enough. The greatest step is taken when 
secondary schools depart from text-book and “analysis” and seriously 
engage in laboratory work; and the next step in advance is taken when 
the plant kingdom is presented as awhole. Both these steps are taken 
in the book before us, which cannot, therefore, be other than helpful. 
Its further usefulness will depend upon the training of the teacher and 
the selection of proper illustrative material. That “the inductive 
method” demands better trained teachers than secondary schools ot 
dinarily possess is unquestionable, but this is no fault of the meth 
As to the selection of material in the present book, the series of amr : 
mal types is placed first and not intercalated with plant types, a thing 
to be commended, although we question the practicability of making — : 
the very first exercise a study of Amoeba, a thing that no instructot 
can have time to find fora large class and no beginner can find for : 
himself. The botanical series is much shorter, as it always is in these 
combination guides, and is made up of Protococcus, Saccharomyces 
Spirogyra, Vaucheria, Chara, Marchantia, Pteris, Pinus sylvestn 
Trillium recurvatum, and seed studies of bean, corn and pine. Be 
certainly question the omission of all fungi and mosses, espe! 
when the list includes Chara and Marchantia, which are hardly pine 
of anything excepting themselves. With properly trained ee . 
however, the book can hardly help working a revolution in the Chicag? 
schools. i 
An “Elementary Practical Biology” is the title of an introduc a 
to zoology and botany by Prof. Chas. W. Dodge of the University 
Rochester. In plan-the author combines to some extent the val 
of Sedgwick and Wilson with that of Huxley and Martin. The a 
begins with the examination of a drop of stagnant water. re the 
takes up the study of the cell as seen in one-celled animals ne 
tissues of higher animals. A similar study is made of vegetable with 
1Bover, Emanuet R.—A laboratory manual in elementary biology 
ductive study in animal and plant morphology. Designed eee 1894 
igh schools. Small 8vo. pp. xiii+ 215. D. C. Heath Co., a laboratort 
*Dopce, Cuas. W.—Introduction to elementary practical oe . Hat 
guide for high schools and colleges. 8vo. pp. xxiii a emeeetes) 
os. 1894, 
ar ogee 
* 
