CURRENT LITERATURE. 
BOOK REVIEWS. 
Research methods in ecology. 
We seldom receive a work whose central idea is essentially new, but Dr. 
CLeMENTs’s latest volume? almost if not quite attains this distinction. The 
ecology of our day is to be divided into the true and the false, and most of it, 
unfortunately, is of the latter type. It is a subject which, on ha 
to lend itself well to the lovers of fads, and there are many “contributions” to 
ecology which consist of a hasty gathering together of notes made in leisure 
moments during summer holidays. The true ecology, the ecology that is to * 
is developed only by the most arduous and long-continued work. The dilettante 
tcology is to pass away, and one of the foremost causes for this change will be 
this new book of CLEMENTS. : 
{i 
atmospheric humidity, and light are regarded as direct factors, and hence more 
attention is paid to them than to indirect factors (such as temperature), or remote 
ors (such as altitude). The various instruments of precision, such as PpSy- 
en psychro hs, photometers, thermographs, and many others, es 
sud and their use explained in full. For the physical and physiological water- 
ntent of the soil, the author proposes respectively the terms holard = ch 
that word ecograph is employed as a general term embracing all instruments 
pa are used for the determination of physical habitat factors. Much space 1s 
oted, . we greatly regret 
that the ‘ 
Th 
én of the more im : s 
portant adjustments and adaptations; 
“a to denote functional response, the latter structural response. These 8R 
Pentant distinctions are often disregarded, thus leading to deplorable eee 
oO Water is termed hydroharmose, to light photoharmose- , 
I +7 Li coln, 
Neb CLEMENts, F. E., Research methods in ecology. PP- xvii+ 334 +" 
* The University Publishing Co. 1905. 
381 
