﻿528 Canadian Record of Science. 



object in view ; there is, therefore, no proper justification for their 

 appearance. 



When, however, a book offers an illustration in exception to this 

 statement, it is especially welcome, and such an instance is to be met 

 with in the book under consideration. The author has approached his 

 task from the double standpoint of an experienced botanist trained in 

 modern methods, and of one who has had large acquaintance with the 

 requirements of secondary school work, through his experience as an 

 examiner. 



The work is divided into three parts : — I. General Morphology, II. 

 Classification of the Angiosperms, III. Physiology. No attempt 

 whatever is made to go beyond the limits of the seed plants, and for the 

 class of students for whom the book is written, this is a wise limitation. 

 While the many topics dealt with are necessarily treated somewhat 

 briefly, the statements are accurate, concise and lucid. The pupil is 

 led on by suggestion, aud is certain to have a good grounding when the 

 by no means difficult subject matter is fully mastered. Great aid to a 

 clear understanding of the various problems discussed, is given by the 

 numerous very excellent illustrations which, it is to be noted, are not 

 of the stereotyped class, but possess a desirable degree of freshness. 



The material selected for study is of a character readily available, 

 and nothing has been introduced which calls for the use of more than 

 a simple pocket lens. A feature which will commend the book to many 

 is the avoidance of technical terms, the undue use of which in element- 

 ary works, has often proved a most serious stumbling block to those 

 who otherwise might have been attracted to the study. All such 

 burdensome details as the forms and margins of leaves are relegated to 

 an appendix which provides an admirably arranged dictionary where 

 special terms are grouped under general headings. 



The work is thoroughly modern in its presentation of the subjects 

 and is exceptionally free from objectionable features. It will doubtless 

 serve an admirable purpose in elementary schools as the basis of more 

 advanced work. D. P. P. 



