214 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIX. No. 997 



the whole book. There are two tree ferns, of 

 the genus Cibotium, one (C. menziesii) reaches 

 a total height of 26 feet and its stem often has 

 a diameter of three feet. Monocotyledons are 

 represented by a Pandanus, eleven palms 

 (Priichardi and Cocos) and a Dracaena. In 

 the Dicotyledons one finds many unfamiliar 

 genera in familiar families : as Trema (TJlma- 

 ceae), Urera and Pipturus (TJrticaceae), Noto- 

 trichium and Charpentiera (Amaranthaceae), 

 Broussaisia (Saxifragaceae), Colubrina 

 (Rhamnaceae), Jamhosa, Syzygium, and 

 Metrosideros (Myrtaceae), Pteralyxia, Ochro- 

 sia and Bauwolfia (Apocynaceae), Olermontia 

 and Cyanea (Campanulaceae), Dubautia, Rail- 

 lardia, and Hesperomannia (Compositse). On 

 the other hand one finds, also, Artocarpus 

 (Moraceae) the well-known " Breadfruit 

 tree"; Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae), of which 

 there are twelve species, several of which are 

 more than twenty feet high; Acacia and 

 Sophora (Leguminosae) ; Xanthoxylum (Rut- 

 aceae) ; Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae), two 

 species of trees from 15 to 25 feet in height; 

 Rhus (Anacardiaceae) ; Ilex (Aquifoliaceae), 

 one tree of 20 to 40 feet in height; Hibiscus 

 (Malvaceae), including trees 20 to 30 feet in 

 height; Sideroxylon (Sapotaceae), some 50 to 

 60 feet high; Osmanthus (Oleaceae), sixty feet 

 high; Solatium (Solanaceae) a small tree, 15 

 to 20 feet high. Many of the trees bear foliage 

 of such a structure as to hide completely their 

 botanical relationship. 



Among the notable trees is the koa (Acacia 

 Jcoa), " one of our most stately trees." " It is 

 perhaps the most valuable tree which the is- 

 lands possess, as it is adapted for construction 

 as well as for cabinet work. The koa reaches 

 a height of more than 80 feet in certain 

 localities, ■ with a large trunk vested in a 

 rough, scaly bark of nearly an inch in thick- 

 ness." Another tree (Pisonia umbellifera) 

 possesses so soft a stem that " trunks of a foot 

 in diameter can be felled with one stroke of 

 the axe." 



The largest family, so far as the tree 

 species are concerned, is Eutaceae (32 sp.), 

 followed closely by Eubiaceae (31 sp.), and 

 then Campanulaceae (15), Araliaceae (14), 



Pittosporaceae (12), Palmaceae (11), Myrsin- 

 aceae (11), and Malvaceae (10). 



At the end of the volume there is a good 

 index to the scientific names, followed by one 

 of the Hawaiian and few English names. 



Charles E. Bessey 

 The Univebsity of Nebraska 



Science from an Easy Chair. Second series. 

 By Sir Ray Lankester. New York, Henry 

 Holt and Company. 1913. Pp. 412. 

 In his chapter on Museums, Sir Ray Lank- 

 ester deplores the fact that so many are " mere 

 enlargements of the ancient collector's ' cabi- 

 net of rare and curious things,' brought to- 

 gether and arranged without rhyme or reason." 

 His book, dealing in one small volume with 

 such diverse matters as Kisses, Ferns, Gla- 

 ciers, Elephants and Tadpoles, might possibly 

 be described in similar terms; yet it is by no 

 means without merit. It is a significant and 

 interesting fact that a zoologist of the first 

 rank, retiring from the directorship of the 

 British Natural History Museum, should 

 think it worth his while to contribute weekly 

 articles on scientific subjects to a daily paper, 

 regularly for a period of five years. It is no 

 less significant that this paper (the Daily 

 Telegraph) should be willing to print them as 

 they stand, popular in form, but dealing in 

 many cases with technical matters which re- 

 quire close attention in order to be under- 

 stood. The book before us consists of a selec- 

 tion from this newspaper series, with some 

 revision and expansion, and a number of illus- 

 trations. It possesses the original journalistic 

 tone, and consists essentially of well-written 

 dissertations on matters familiar to specialists, 

 but, for the most part, new to the general pub- 

 lic. I have read the greater part of it with 

 pleasure and interest, and, while different 

 chapters will appeal to different people, few 

 can fail to find something of value. Some of the 

 essays, as those on Pood and Cookery and Mis- 

 conceptions about Science, reflect so strongly 

 the author's prepossessions that they naturally 

 arouse a combative spirit in those of a differ- 

 ent temper. Here and there, expressions have 

 crept in which the author would scarcely de- 



