BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, ETC. 255 



Eulophia disprrsa N. E. Br., PseudomacotU* (nov. gen. Orchid.) 

 Cominsii Eolfe, Amomum Ridleyi Baker, Ailchmm Nieholhii Baker, 

 and a large-flowered variety of Strophantus Petersiauus. It appears 

 that Mr. Brown is responsible for the publication of the nowina 

 uuda m Mrs. Monteiro's Delagoa Bay, to which we referred at p. 12G. 



The Koyal Agricultural Society has issued an excellent and 

 complete set of coloured diagrams illustrating the life-history of the 

 wheat plant. The first deals with the structure of the grain, the 

 second with its germination ; in the third is figured the young plant 

 with the succession of leaves and roots ; the next three describe the 

 development and growth of ear and flower ; the seventh shows the 

 ripening of the grain; and the eighth and last the plant in flower 

 and fruit, and also the structure of the straw. The diagrams are 

 reproductions of original drawings by Francis Bauer, now in the 

 Botanical Department at the British Museum. So accurate is 

 the detail that we can hardly believe them to have been executed 

 nearly a hundred years ago, w T hen microscopy was in its infancy. 

 The price of the set is 10s, ; this includes an admirable explanatory 

 pamphlet of twelve pages by Mr. Carruthers, who is also responsible 

 for the arrangement and production of the diagrams. The informa- 

 tion both as regards structure and physiology is well up to date, 

 and the language, though thoroughly scientific, is sufficiently simple 

 to be understood by the presumably intelligent farmer aud senior 

 country scholar. It is suggested that the notes "may be used as 

 a text-book by the pupil," and for this purpose the pamphlet is sold 

 separately. This is an excellent idea, but spoilt in the execution. 

 The great value of the text lies in its clear explanatory nature ; it 

 is indeed the most concise account of the plant ever published, but its 

 usefulness is seriously discounted by the absence of the illustrations. 

 The Society might well have issued the paper, with the miniature 

 reproductions of the plates which accompany it in the Journal, at the 

 cost of a penny : at this price it could have been placed in the hands of 

 every country schoolboy, from which much good would have resulted. 

 Instead of this, they have chosen to issue, at the cost of threepence, 

 the twelve pages of text, without the plates, which is something like 

 publishing Euclid without the figures ! With the blocks ready to hand, 

 why in the name of common sense were they not used ? The Royal 

 Agricultural Society have done a good thing in issuing the large 

 diagrams ; they have just missed a second — the publication at a 

 nominal price of one of the most useful little text-books imaginable. 



Messrs. Bell & Sons have just re-issued Miss Plues's Rambles 

 in search of Wild Flowers, bearing on its title-page the words, 

 " Fourth edition, revised/' This work first appeared in 1863. We 

 have not been able to consult the original edition, but this 

 " revised' ' issue positively bristles with errors of the most glaring 

 kind, and the " ninety-six coloured figures" are the worst we have 

 ever seen. No botanist who looks at the book will consider these 

 remarks too strong. Messrs. Bell have been singularly unfortunate 

 in their " reviser, " but it would be difficult, if not impossible, to 

 make the little volume of practical service to the field botanist. 



