152 



motile organisms do not show shock reactions," etc. And so 

 throughout the book, though the meaning is usually obvious, this 

 illogical form of expression is much too common in scientific 

 writings. 



Close adherence to accurate terminology frequently arrests the 

 attention of one accustomed to looser nomenclature. Thus 

 Darwin's term " nictytropic " becomes nictynastic. The suffix 

 "tropic" (tropism) is rigidly reserved for responses to unilateral 

 stimuli, while, for responses produced by diffused stimuli, the 

 ending " nastic " (nasty) is used. 



Chapter I is a general discussion of movement. Chapter II is 

 entitled Movements of Curvature. Under this head are discussed 

 autonomic (/. r., spontaneous) movements ; twiners and climbers ; 

 movements due to mechanical and chemical stimuli ; and aition- 

 astic (photonastic, thermonastic, and hydronastic) curvatures ; 

 Chapter III is given to tropic movements; Chapter IV to loco- 

 motory and protoplasmic movements ; and Chapter V to the pro- 

 duction of heat, light and electricity. The sources and transfor- 

 mations of energy in the plant are discussed in the sixth and 

 last chapter. 



An appendix is devoted to "some important facts not men- 

 tioned in the first two volumes " and to " a summary of the more 

 recent literature." The historical resumes, which were a feature 

 of the first two volumes, also enhance the usefulness of this one. 



Besides the intrinsic value of the text itself, the copious refer- 

 ences throughout serve to put one cii rapport with most of the 

 existing literature on the subject. The American reader can 

 hardly help noticing the absence of citations of the work of his 

 own countrymen, scarcely more than three or four American 

 authors being referred to in the bibliographies. This is due 

 partly to oversight of existing literature, and partly to lack of 

 productive scholarship in America. The bibliography, like most 

 others in biologic science, is a tribute to German scholarship. 



One's attention is somewhat jarred by reading on pages 64-65 

 that " A tickling sensation is awakened in the epidermis of man 

 and of tendrils," etc. 



It is difficult, however, to make adverse comment because the 

 volume offers so few opportunities. 



