Book Notices. 27 



Cordial votes of thanks were accorded to the President 

 for his address and services during the year ; to the Mayor, 

 and to the Scarborough Field Naturahsts' Society ; the last 

 being abl}^ acknowledged by the Society's President, Mr. 

 E. B. Lotherington. 



For particulars of the Union's excursions for igio, and for 

 the names of the various ofificers, etc., reference should be 

 made to the report printed at the end of this number of ' The 

 Naturahst.' — T. S. 



The Annual Report of Proceedings'under Acts relating to Sea Fisheries 



for the year 1907 (120 pp., i/ii, published njog) has recently reached us. 



The volume contains an enormous quantity of valuable records, and 

 whilst it is largely of value economically, there is very much of interest to 

 the naturalist and scientific investigator. There are innumerable tables, 

 giving particulars of the various quantities and kinds of fish caught, when, 

 where, and b)- what means. 



From Messrs. A. and C. Black we have received their indespcnsable 

 handbooks, ' Who's Who,' 1910 (over 2200 pp., 10/- net) ; * Who's Who 

 Year Book ' (162 pp., lA) ; ' The Writers' and Artists' Year Book ' (127 pp., 

 i/-), and the ' Englishwoman's Year Book ' (382 pp., 2/6). 



With regard to the first of these, the information it contains is simply 

 astonishing. Each year it grows wider and wider, but notwithstanding 

 its 2200 pages, it is still in a convenient form for reference. The ' Year 

 Book ' contains lists of Government Officials, Hospitals, Peers, Univer- 

 sities, Professors, Race Meetings, Lecture Agencies, etc., and the House 

 of Commons. Possibly the last will need revision before the next 

 edition is issued. ' The Writers' and Artists' Year Book ' is prepared 

 for the use of authors and artists, and contains lists of periodicals, pub- 

 lishers, etc. A useful note appears dealing with the proper way to correct 

 proofs. In the list of Natural History Magazines we notice the ' Zoophi- 

 list,' probably a misprint for the.' Zoologist.' A lady friend, to whom we 

 sent ' The Englishwoman's Year Book,' says it's simply perfect, and why 

 didn't we tell her about it before 1 



Fungi and How to Know Them : An Introduction to Field Mycology, 

 by E. W. Swanton. Methuen i.\: Co. 210 pp. 6/- net. 



This is a book on Fungi for which there was no very special need. A 

 beginner in field mycology desirous of learning something of the structure 

 and habits of fungi, may certainly pick up some useful information, but 

 very little in comparison to what he may gather from Dr. M. C. Cooke's 

 ' Introduction to the Study of Fungi.' The book only essays to deal with 

 the ' larger fungi,' and, ' of these, for the most part, only very common ones.' 

 The idea of mastering the commoner ones first, as a basis, is a very good 

 one. The classification does not profess to go beyond the genera of British 

 Basidiomycetes, and one or more typical species in each genus, so that its 

 usefulness to a field mycologist is very limited. The book contains si.xteen 

 coloured plates ' illustrating ' a fair number of species, some of which are 

 recognisable at sight, without referring to the name behind the plate to 

 ascertain the species each figure is supposed to represent. Tiiere are also 

 thirtj'-two plates of roughly-drawn figures in black-and-white, and some 

 photographic reproductions, the latter from photos by C. G. Lloyd. There 

 is a useful Glossary. Cordyceps militaris (p. 186) is in its wrong ' sub- 

 order ' under Discomycetes ; of course, this can only be the result of an 

 oversight, ^^'ith the statement in the Preface that ' it is therefore no 

 more difficult to identify a fungus than it is to diagnose a flower,' we cannot 

 agree. — C.C. 



1910 Jan. I. 



