436 REVIEWS 



the views of science held by the distinguished author in his later years. 

 In the very delicate task of eliminating such errors as the progress of 

 science has developed, and at the same time of deferring almost rev- 

 erentially to the opinion of the author, Dr. Rice appears to have 

 attained a high degree of success, although some further eliminations 

 of opinions and interpretations which, though not absolutely aban- 

 doned by all geologists, have been practically overthrown, might have 

 added value to the work. T. C. C. 



Fossil Plajits for Students of Botany and Geology, Vol. I, 450 pp., 

 with illustrations. By A. C. Seward, University Press, 

 Cambridge, Eng., 1898. 



Botanists and geologists both are bound to welcome Professor 

 Seward's work on Fossil Plants, the first volume of which has recently 

 appeared. This book forms one of the familiar Cambridge Natural 

 Science Manuals, and is rather more extensive than the others. It is 

 safe to say that no general work on paleobotany had previously appeared 

 in English that was satisfactory to both botanists and geologists, and 

 very few that were satisfactory to either. Hence it is a pleasure to read 

 in the preface that this book is intended for both botanists and geolo- 

 gists, and thus has to be adapted to both non-geologists and non- 

 botanists, since it is unfortunately true that neither class, as a rule, 

 appreciates the standpoint of the other. The first chapter contains a 

 brief historical sketch of paleobotany in which the author gives special 

 credit to Brongniart and Williamson. Chapter ii gives the relation 

 of the subject to botany and geology. Professor Seward tells how 

 paleobotany has been buffeted about by the geologist and the botanist, 

 the one culling out facts relating to correlation of strata, the other 

 caring only for facts which give hints as to phylogeny and evolution. 

 He pleads for the recognition of paleobotany as a science of and for 

 itself, with its own peculiar problems, viz., the determination of the 

 historical succession of plants in geological time ; the delineation of the 

 actual evolution of the plant kingdom, giving light on phylogenetic 

 mysteries; the presentation of the various floral areas of the past, lead- 

 ing up to an explanation of the distribution of plants in the present 

 day; conclusions as to climatic and other conditions in geological 

 time as revealed by the occurrence of certain peculiar plant types and 



