84 Notices of Scientific Works. [Jan., 



arts, or by their functions as rock-constituents. A few rare species 

 are, indeed, described, but only on account of certain marked 

 peculiarities, either physical or chemical. Two plates of crystalline 

 forms bring the work to a conclusion. 



Vegetable Teratology : an Account of the Principal Deviations 

 from the usual Construction of Plants. By Maxwell T. 

 Masteks, M.D., F.L.S. London: Published for the Ray 

 Society, 1869. 



The attention which Dr. Masters has for many years bestowed on 

 abnormal developments of the various organs of plants, renders this 

 last publication of the Ray Society from his pen a peculiarly valuable 

 one. The importance of a study of teratology, both to the morpho- 

 logical and to the systematic botanist, in determining not only the 

 true relationship of organs to one another, but the structural 

 position of difficult orders, has only recently been acknowledged. 

 Moquin-Tandon's has been heretofore the standard work on the 

 subject, but is completely out of date in the light of modern research ; 

 since his time St. Hilaire, Morren, and others have investigated 

 the subject ; but up to the present time nothing of importance has 

 appeared in this country, except a very old treatise by Hopkirk. 



The classification of a number of facts necessarily so unconnected 

 with one another as monstrosities and irregular growths presents 

 considerable difficulties ; in our present imperfect state of knowledge 

 of the causes of these variations from typical structure, we think 

 Dr. Masters has done wisely in adopting in the main Moquin- 

 Tandon's somewhat empirical arrangement, rather than attempting 

 one with more claims to a philosophical basis. He arranges the 

 phenomena under four heads: — 1st. Deviations from ordinary 

 arrangement, including union or independence of organs and 

 alterations of position ; 2nd. Deviations from ordinary form ; 3rd. 

 Deviations from ordinary number, whether increased or diminished ; 

 and 4th. Deviations from ordinary size and consistence, including 

 hypertrophy and atrophy. Under any classification a certain 

 amount of repetition is unavoidable ; but is probably as small under 

 the one here adopted as could reasonably be expected. 



The work does not profess to be a philosophical treatise on the 

 causes of aberration from typical form, but rather a chronicle of 

 the most important instances which have come under the notice 

 of the writer himself and of other observers ; and the immense variety 

 of these deviations from the usual construction of plants must 

 astonish the casual observer. We have well-authenticated examples, 

 for instance, not only of the comparatively common transformation of 



