176 | The Botanical Gazette. [March, 
But this morphological shortcoming will trouble too few, while the 
lucid and vigorous presentation of the chief matters will interest many, 
we hope. 
General biology. 
A second edition of the General Biology published by Professos 
Sedgwick and Wilson‘ ten years ago has given opportunity for a thor- 
ough revision and considerable changes in plan. The original plan 
provided for a general discussion of the fundamental properties a 
protoplasm and the forms of cells, followed by the thorough study dt 
a plant (for which the bracken fern served as a type) and an anim! 
(the earthworm). The difficulties in the use of the book arose ftom 
the exceedingly varied material necessary for the laboratory work 0 
the first part of the book. te 
The chief changes in the present edition consist in the come . 
from the body of the text of all laboratory directions, in lieu of which | 
suggestions are made to teachers in an appendix; in the transfer 
the study of the animals to precede the plants; and in the introdue 
tion of a series of unicellular animal and plant types. 
The first change we think wise, but regret that the suggestions # 
too brief for those who need them at all. The second change, : 
plea of the “ease with which the physiology of the animal caf ee 
proached; there can be no doubt that beginners find the — | 
problems of the plant abstruse,” seems to rest upon a false pre™ 
If beginners find the vital phenomena of a plant difficult pi 
the fault lies with the teacher and the presentation—not WI - 
character of the phenomena, which are vastly simpler than in me 
mal. The authors, who are zoologists, state their own expel aie 
probably, and the reason may be valid in such cases; but yard - 
tion that “there can be no doubt” is too strong for botanists ; 
cept. a 
The introduction of the unicellular plants, protococcus, pre . 
bacteria, after the study of Pteris, seems to us an anomaly. wack 
if a study of the physiology of protococcus preceded that of the 
fern the authors would not find the latter so abstruse. ‘i yo F 
For the material of the book, the clear illustrations and 
style we have only praise. 
Minor Notices. aston Bf 
Yaxutat Bay, Alaska, was explored by Mr. Frederick Fu at f 
the summer of 1892, under the direction of the Division of ae | 
the Department of Agriculture. The results are just pact go? | 
_‘SEDGwick, Wm, T., and Witsox, Epmunp B,—An introduction 57, Ce | 
biology. Second edition, revised and enlarged. 8vo. pp. *# to 
New York: Henry Holt & Co, 1895. 
le 
