92 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



Rusts of Australia : their Structure, Nature, and Classification. 

 By D. McAlpine, Government Vegetable Pathologist, De- 

 partment of Agriculture, Victoria. 1906. 350 pp. (55 

 plates, including 366 figures.) los. 



It is hardly possible to conceive a more difficult or intricate 

 task than to work out and arrange systematically those minute 

 organisms so common around us, and known under the general 

 term of " rusts." For years their life-histories have been watched, 

 but often only to further baffle the investigator. However, by 

 patient work during a period of fifteen years, since the date of his 

 first article on the subject, Mr. McAlpine seems to have at last 

 conquered many of the mysteries in the growth and occurrence of 

 these insidious pests, and has now arranged them in such a way, 

 and with such copious notes and references, that future workers 

 have a good foundation on which to base their observations. 

 The amount of research involved in producing such a work will 

 be at once evident even to one who has not studied the subject. 

 The volume is divided into two parts. The first, consisting of some 

 70 pages, deals with the general characteristics and mode of life 

 of the rust fungi, and describes the different stages in their life- 

 history. The distribution throughout Australia is recorded, 

 Victoria being credited with 118 out of 161 species, probably 

 from the fact that Mr. McAlpine's presence in Victoria has been 

 a stimulus and encouragement to observers to forward him 

 specimens, and so make the rust census of our State more com- 

 plete than that of our neighbours. The economic question of the 

 prevention of rust in wheat in Australia is exhaustively dealt with, 

 and suggestions given for future observations. The second part 

 of the volume is devoted to classification and technical descrip- 

 tions in which the 161 recorded species are fully described, and 

 illustrated either in their natural growth on the host plant, or 

 the spores of the different stages are reproduced from micro- 

 photographs. The coloured plates, ten in number, are the work 

 of Mr. C. C. Brittlebank, and are well executed. The remaining 

 43 plates contain 319 figures of spores in black and white. 

 Being such an intricate subject, an excellent glossary is included, 

 and an extensive list of references to published literature. A 

 host index, mentioning some 300 host plants, fungus index with 

 synonyms, arid a very complete general index concludes the 

 book. It is unfortunate that such thin paper has been used for 

 the publication, and the unsuitability of linotype for scientific 

 work is apparent in several places ; otherwise the volume is a 

 credit to the Government Printing Ofhce, and has already 

 brought to Mr. McAlpine warm congratulations on its com- 

 pleteness. 



