1909] CURRENT LITERATURE 311 
one derives from a garden which is klein, aber mein. The book is beautifully 
illustrated with eight halftones in color by ZvutmaA Dr L. STEELE, and would be 
a pleasing gift book, as well as an excellent reference book for an amateur who 
may feel, with the author, that “at least it is better to have tried and failed, than 
not even to have made the attempt.’’ The author, however, was evidently success- 
ful and shows an intimate knowledge of garden life. The nature sketches are 
pleasing, and the whole book is written in a very happy vein, to which its attractive 
form is appropriate——Mary H. Frost. 
Hymenomycetes of the Chicago region.—The Natural History Survey of 
the Chicago Academy of Sciences has begun the publication of a descriptive 
catalogue of the higher fungi of the Chicago area. The first part, containing the 
Hymenomycetes by Morratt, has just appeared.? It is well printed and the 
plates are halftones from excellent photographs. The keys to genera and species 
should make determination comparatively simple, but the key to genera would 
be far more convenient if the page numbers were inserted. The “Chicago area” 
means Cook and Dupage counties, with portions of Will County, Ill., and Lake 
County, Ind., including about 1800 square’ miles. From this area 371 species 
of Hymenomycetes are reported, representing 79 genera, the distribution by 
families being as follows: Agaricaceae, 46 gen., 211 spp.; Polyporaceae, 15 gen., 
78 spp.; Hydnaceae, 5 gen., 25 spp.; Thelephoraceae, 8 gen., 41 spp.; Clavari- 
aceae, 2 gen., 12 spp.; Tremellaceae, 3 gen., 4 spp.—J. 
Indian woods and their uses.—The Imperial Forest Research Institute of India 
has begun the publication of a series of memoirs, the first number of which deals 
with Indian woods and their uses.$ It is a bulky quarto volume of nearly 500 
Pages, dealing wih 554 species. This is only a fraction of the total number ot 
Indian woody species, which is said to be about 5000 and rather more than half of 
them trees. The first part contains a list of the purposes for which woods 
are employed and the woods used for each, while in the second part these woods 
are described. There is an index to English and trade names (9 pp.), and also a 
Surprisingly extensive one (202 pp.) to vernacular names.—J. M. C. 
The flora of central and southern Congo.—Another fascicle® of this important 
taxonomic work has been issued recently under the able editorship of Professor 
Eu. De WitpeMAN. The present fascicle contains a list of Mycetes prepared by 
the late Professor P. HeENntncs, also a list of fungi by H. and P. Sypow, the 
Pteridophyta have been elaborated by Dr. H. Curist and the Embryophyta by 
Dr. DE Witpeman. Nearly one hundred new species and several varieties are 
ee 
7Morratr, W. S., The higher fungi of the Chicago region. Part I. The 
Hymenomycetes. Chicago Acad. Sci. Nat. Hist. Surv. Bull. 721-156. pls. I-24. 1909- 
8 Troup, R. S., Indian woods and their uses. Indian Forest Memoirs 1: No. 1. 
4to. pp. 273 + cexvii. 1909. 
9Dr Witpeman, Em., Flore du Bas- et du Moyen-Congo. Ann. Mus. Congo. 
Botanique, Sér. V. Tome iii. fasc. 1. pp. 147. pls. 27. Brussels. 1909- 
