456 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



sey). Most of these diatomists and other botanists are represented 

 in the interesting set of photographs received with the Rylands 

 collection. There is also a medallion of William Wilson, the 

 bryologist, a fellow-townsman with Rylands. — A. G. 



Under the title Plant-Biologij, the University Tutorial Press 

 have issued a small botanical text-book by Dr. F. Cavers, of 

 Hartley University College, Southampton. The book is described 

 as a text-book of elementary botany arranged for modern methods 

 of teaching, and contains about 460 pages in small 8vo and 201 

 text-figures. Within this small compass Dr. Cavers has com- 

 pressed a great deal of information, accompanied by suggestions 

 and directions for a large number of illustrative experiments. The 

 study of the plant is approached from its physiological aspect, and 

 in this connection the author has introduced a considerable amount 

 of purely physical and chemical subject-matter, such as the de- 

 scription of the thermometer and barometer, the determination of 

 the chemical composition of water, &c. It is admittedly impossible 

 for a student to appreciate plant-physiology without an elementary 

 knowledge of chemistry and physics, but there are numerous ele- 

 mentary text-books in these sciences from which information 

 might be gained and space saved in the botanical text-book. The 

 two chapters dealing respectively with flow r ers and their work 

 and fruits and seeds are exceptionally well illustrated, and the 

 last three chapters — ecology of plants, biology of the soil, and 

 principles and problems of plant-biology — form an introduction to 

 the study of the ecological aspect of plant-life. The appendixes 

 on the Greek and Latin roots of botanical terms and the glossary 

 of terms will be useful; another appendix gives suggestions for 

 practical work during the various months of the year. The index 

 is not comprehensive. The price of the book is 3s. 6d. — A. B. R. 



Our Woodlands Heaths and Hedges by W. S. Coleman was a 

 useful book fifty years ago, when it was issued at a shilling in an 

 attractive cover of paper boards, uniform with one of the best 

 popular books ever written — J. G. Wood's Common Objects of the 

 Country. In these days of reprints it is not surprising that 

 Messrs. Routledge have reissued it in a neat cloth cover as a 

 " new edition, entirely reset " ; and it remains a good and useful 

 book as far as it goes, although the field in which it was a pioneer is 

 now abundantly occupied. The references to the insects which 

 frequent the various trees and shrubs described will make it useful 

 to entomologists. It is, however, unfortunate that some steps were 

 not taken to bring the little book up to date ; it saves much trouble, 

 of course, if we can lump all our brambles under the heading Bub us 

 friUicosus, but it might have been indicated that the name covers, 

 according to modern estimate, just a hundred species, although of 

 course it would be unreasonable to expect any attempt at their 

 differentiation in a popular book of this kind. The plates should 

 have been lettered, and it is difficult to explain the meanness of the 

 publishers in printing them, in two cases, on both sides of the page. 

 Nor do we see why it should not have been produced at its original 

 price of a shilling — it now costs eighteenpence. 



