19 



colored picture of a Cattleya, but, as is often the case in text books, 

 it is merely a pretty picture not in any way important to the book. 



As in nearly all college science texts^ — and the same is true in 

 only slighly less degree of high school texts — the student will meet 

 here nearly as many new terms as he will new words in the first 

 year of a foreign language. The glossary gives nearly 600 tech- 

 nical terms, most of which will be new to the student, while others 

 (such as xeromorphic, polyploidy, photophobic) used in the text 

 are not given in the glossary. It may be difficult to draw the line 

 as to which scientific terms should be included and which omitted 

 in a book of this kind, but for students most of whom will take 

 no further botany it seems unreasonable to require the learning 

 of scores of words used but once in the text — and there with an 

 explanation — and which they may never in their lives meet again. 



There is nothing in the text to suggest laboratory or field 

 work, nor references to further reading. Each chapter is followed 

 by a concise summary, which correctly used, will be a definite help 

 in mastering and organizing the facts given. The language 

 throughout is clear and easily understood, so that the book may 

 be read by a beginner with pleasure. It should satisfactorily fulfill 

 the author's objective for the course. It will be a valuable text 

 wherever a cultural course in botany, not to be followed by more 

 advanced work, is given. The reviewer hopes that whenever the 

 text is used part IV — "The Distribution of Plants in Time and 

 Space" will not be omitted. 



George T. Hastings 



The Advance of the Fungi 



The Advance of the Fungi. By E. C. Large. Henry Holt and Co., New 

 York. 1940. Pp. 488. $4. 



Under the above title one would naturally expect to find a 

 discussion of either the phylogeny of fungi in general or a myco- 

 logical treatise. A glance at the chapter headings may have a rather 

 discouraging effect on the young plant pathologist, for here he 

 would find little information about individual plant diseases, which 

 might be expected in a work on plant pathology. Nevertheless, the 

 author deals primarily with plant-pathological problems, availing 

 himself on every occasion of setting forth some of his philosophical 

 or sociological ideas. 



