1871-) Notices of Books. 537 



of white of egg, the syntonin of muscle and flesh, the casein of 

 milk, &c. The proteids subserve the process of the formation 

 of tissue as their special function, though they share with the 

 next two classes in maintaining the heat of the body. Fats con- 

 tain but three of the four elementary principles mentioned above, 

 nitrogen being absent. Their amount of hydrogen is more than 

 sufficient to form water if combined with the oxygen of the 

 compound. In this class are included all oils, fat of meat, &c. 

 Amyloids resemble fats in composition, except that the amount 

 of hydrogen is but just sufficient to form water with the con- 

 tained oxygen. This class includes sugar, starch, dextrine, &c. 

 Fats and amyloids perform the function of maintaining animal 

 heat. The fourth class includes such substances as sulphur, 

 phosphorus, lime, and the salts of various alkalies and earths. 

 One of the chief functions of this class of food-principles is to 

 afford strength to the more solid parts of the animal frame." 

 More technical subjects are treated in a similar manner : the 

 style is neither too difficult to be readily understood, nor so 

 simple as to pall upon the reader. Dr. Yeats may be considered 

 to have opened up a fresh path for our high-class school-book 

 writers. 



Handbook of British Fungi. By M. C. Cooke, M.A. 980 pp., 

 6 plates, 408 figures. Macmillan. 187 1. 



This long-expected work by one of our most industrious 

 mycologists has at last made its appearance. It contains 

 descriptions of all known species of British Fungi, amounting to 

 the enormous number of 2809. Each genus is illustrated by a 

 carefully executed woodcut. The student is aided in the dis- 

 crimination of the genera of the Agaricini by a series of coloured 

 tables. It is much to be regretted that the author has been 

 unable to supply an introductory chapter on the structure, 

 affinities, &c. of the Fungi, and in particular on the terminology 

 employed; the work has, however, so far exceeded the limits 

 originally intended that it has been found impossible to give such 

 explanations however desirable. The author hopes to publish 

 an introduction at some future time, and also occasional supple- 

 ments. The work supplies a want felt by every mycological 

 student, there having been no collected description of British 

 Fungi since that by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, M.A., in 1836 ; all 

 information since that time had to be searched for in the pages 

 of numerous British and foreign periodicals. The thanks of 

 every lover of botanical science are due to the author for his 

 valuable work, which though of necessity a compilation is not 

 wanting in original matter. 



