Torr] CURRENT LITERATURE 467 
perspective of the plant kingdom enormously. It is high time to present this 
new field of knowledge to a much larger group than paleobotanists and mor- 
phologists, and Miss Stopes has undertaken to do this in her little book 
entitled ‘Ancient plants.’’ 
To write such a book is more difficult than to prepare one for special 
students, for it involves careful selection of material and a simple style. The 
former always invites the hypercriticism of specialists; and the latter is in 
danger of sacrificing accuracy to picturesqueness. However, the book is 
not written for specialists; and extreme accuracy is not so important as vivid 
impressions. Miss Stopes has certainly succeeded in accomplishing well the 
task she set for herself. Judgment may vary as to the selections, but this is 
inevitable; the brevity of treatment has been criticized, but that was a part 
of the purpose; the attractive and often very picturesque style, even though 
it might be accused of misleading now and then, is far better for the purpose 
in mind than a style that flavors of mathematical precision. Such books are 
intended to arouse interest, and if they stimulate any one to further study, all 
possible misconceptions will be corrected. 
The chapter headings suggest the general treatment: ii, ‘‘ Various kinds of 
fossil plants”; iii, ‘Coal, the most important of plant remains’’; iv, ‘The 
seven ages of plant life’’; v, ‘‘Stages in plant evolution’’; vi, “‘ Minute structure 
of fossil plants aeons to living ones’’; vii, the same—‘‘differences from 
living ones”; vii-xvii, “Past tga of wine families”: xviii, ‘Fossil plants 
as records of ancient countries 
The book can be recomended to all students of botany who should 
supplement their knowledge of living plants with some information concerning 
ancient plants. Certainly no student of morphology can afford to neglect 
the history of his groups, and this little book will serve him well as an intro- 
duction.—J. M 
NOTES FOR STUDENTS 
Mutations in nature——Mutdations probably occur in nature as frequently, 
in proportion to the percentage of the seeds which succeed in germinating and 
developing, as in experimental cultures, but actual proof of such mutation 
must be always wanting. When a single individual of a hitherto unknown 
type is seen to differ by some marked characteristic from the associated typi- 
cal individuals of the most closely related species, the natural inference is 
that the atypic plant is a mutant. If such a plant is found to reproduce its 
characters in its offspring, such inference is strengthened, but there still 
remains the question of possible hybridization, and if that can be satisfac- 
? Stopes, Marte C., Ancient plants; being a simple account of the past vegeta- 
tion of the earth and of the recent important discoveries made in this realm of 
nature study. 8vo. pp. viii+198. figs. 122. London: Blackie & Son; and New 
York: D. Van Nostrand Company. 1910. $2.00. 
