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Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany ^ hy the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, 

 M. A.^ F. L. S. With 12*7 Illustrations on Wood, drawn by 

 the Author. Locdon and New York : H. Bailliere. Price, 

 |5. 1 vol. 8vo, pp. 604. Being Volume XII of Bailliere's 

 Library of Standard Scientific "Works. 



An introductory work on the Cryptogams in the English lan- 

 guage and at an available price, has long been wanted. Hitherto 

 the student of these lower forms of vegetation could find no trea- 

 tise to assist him excepting Dr. Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom 

 and more lately " The Micographic Dictionary," neither of which 

 were special treatises, nor calculated to fill his necessities. No 

 one was more competent to supply the want than the author of 

 the work before us, who has devoted a good part of his life to the 

 study of these organisms, and has in them earned a world-veide 

 reputation among botanists. That the nature of the work may 

 be the better understood, we extract the following from the pre-* 

 face, and give a summary of its contents : 



" It remains only to state that the work is not intended nor 

 calculated for persons who have not already some general know- 

 ledge of Botany. At the same time, it is believed, unless the 

 Author has entirely failed in his attempt, that there is no part 

 which is not intelligible to any one who has made himself mas- 

 ter of Dr. Lindley's or Dr. Balfour's Introductions to the Study 

 of Botany." 



A concise and able introduction occupies the first YO pages ; 

 we have only room for the following extract from it, to which we 

 invite the attention of our microscopic readers : 



" I shall not dwell upon the extreme and manifold interest of 

 the several objects which come within the view of the Crypto- 

 gamist. If variety and delicacy of structure, beauty of form 

 and colour, and the nicest transitions from group to group, from 

 genus to genus, besides a host of curious questions of physiology 

 and adaptation of means to particular ends, are worthy to engage 

 attention, Cryptogams most surely will not be amongst the most 



