CURRENT LITERATURE 219 
The evolution of plants.° 
Books of this kind are exceedingly useful, and there should be more of 
them. It is hard for one who is not a professional botanist to get from ordi- 
nary text-books much idea ot the evolution of plants as a whole. The worst 
of it is that those who know little or nothing of modern morphology have 
written most in a popular way about the evolution of plants, and have propa- 
gated fanciful notions which are hard to eradicate. 
The basis of this little volume is a course of lectures given at Stanford 
University, and its purpose is to organize well-known botanical material to 
illustrate the probable lines of evolution. The book will demand some ele- 
mentary knowledge of plant groups, but it is probably as simple as the sub- 
ject will permit. There is no presentation of new theories or discussion of 
old ones for the benefit of the professional botanist, but merely a statement of 
current views, Undoubtedly exception will be taken to certain views of 
homology and phylogeny, but this is to be expected whenever difference of 
pinion is possible, 
Itis of interest to the professional botanist to note the author’s opinions as 
af phylogeny, Many of them of course very cautiously expressed. Leavin 
mycete and schizophyte forms as altogether problematical, the 
Steen alge, considered the most primitive of the three classes of alge, are 
. - having arisen probably from simple Volvox-like types, the Vol- 
_ '. coccus, and Conferva forms representing a continuous series lead- 
‘t plants. From this stock the Siphonez, Conjugate, Rho- 
ossibly the Characez, have arisen as offshoots. It is 
Suggested that the b 
nifers are regarded as phylogenetically related to the club- 
Cads and angiosperms are referred to the ferns. Two 
The book j 
'0 those wy : full of interest and suggestion, and commends itself not only 
0 ‘ 
botany — 7 . a reading knowledge of botany, but also to teachers of 
*Campp ‘ 
MPBEL 
PP. viii 4. 319, ', Doveras Houcuton: Lectures on the evolution of plants. 8vo. 
© Macmillan Company: New York. 1899. $1.25. 
