Reviews and Book NoUccs. 341 



Road, Doncaster, was killed in action on October i/th; at the 

 age of 23. When war broke out he was a member of the 

 Cambridge University O.T.C., and he went straight into the 

 Army.' Captain Corbctt will be remembered by many of our 

 readers. He was an enthusiastic naturalist, frequently at- 

 tended the meetings of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union and 

 the pages of this journal have been enriched by his notes, and 

 records. Some time ago he was invalided home badly wounded 

 in the shoulder. We extend to Dr. Corbett our sincere sym- 

 pathy on this, his second serious sorrow. 



: o : 



The Stars and How to Identity Them, 1w E. W. Maunder. London : 

 C. H. Kelly, 6.| pp., i;() net. This is an excellent treatise, well written 

 and illustiated hv 27 Diagrams or ' maps,' which are clearly explained. 



Methods in Practical Petrology, by H. B. Milner and G. M. Part. 



Cambridge : W. Heffer (.% Sons, G<S pp., price 2/6 net. This is a volume 

 of ■ Hints on the preparation and exam.ination of rock slices,' and is 

 intended to act as a practical companion to the standard Petrological 

 text-books. The book is in live parts, dealing with the ' Preparation of 

 Rock Slices,' ' Examination of Rock Slices,' ' iVIicrochanical Methods 

 (Staining),' ' Mounting of Sands and Crushed Rock ^Materia',' and ' Pre- 

 paration of Stainr,.' There are se'-'erpl uscfid diagrams and tables. 



The Life and Letters of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, O.M., G.C.S.I., 

 by Leonard Huxley. London : John Murray, 2 \ols. (pp. 546-569), 

 36/- net. It is a glorious thing in these times to tind that two such hand- 

 some volumes can be published, and we sincerely trust that the venture 

 may amply reward both author and publisher. Every scientific man 

 knows of 1 . D. Hooker and his work as a botanist, evolutionist, traveller 

 and explorer ; all know the important position he holds in the scientific 

 world, but these two volumes give an account of a life's work, the mag- 

 nitude and value of which must be astounding, even to those who were 

 intimately associated with Sir Joseph. His w'ork at Kew is alone a 

 sufficient monument to his memory, but e^en that fades into insi.gnificance 

 when one reads of his extraordinary contributions to botanical science, 

 to his explorations in the Antarctic, the Himalayas and the Atlas ; and 

 to the prominent part he played in connection with the valuable work on 

 evolution published by his intimate friend and correspondent, Charles 

 Darwin. For Hooker was an untiring worker, and ' apart from a vast 

 official correspondence and regular weekly letters to various members of 

 his family, there are extant over 700 sheets copied from his letters to 

 Charles Darwin, whose own share of the 'cori'espondence, typed out, fills 

 more than Soo pages.' The list of Hooker's contributions to science 

 (ig pp.) is almost like a library catalogue, even though it is remembered 

 that his first essay was written at 19 and his last at 94 ! ; while his ' list 

 of Degrees, Appointments, Societies and Honours,' occupyin.g 11 pages, 

 is probably by far the most that have been conferred upon any scientific 

 man, living or dead. Among the enormous amount of material available. 

 Mr. Leonard Huxley has doubtless had considerable difficulty in selectin.g. 

 But his selection has been good. The account he gives of Hooker's work, 

 and the letters which are reproduced, form a magnificent record of bot- 

 anical science during the great century : and in this progress, Hooker 

 was at the helm. There are many side-lights on botanical history in the 

 volumes which botanists will find difficult to obtain elsewhere. And the 

 portraits, views, and maps considerably add to the value of one of the 

 most interesting biographies that have appeared in recent years. 



1918 Nov. 1. 



