Botany. 79 



•2. Blumen vnd Insecten : Hire Anpassungen aneinander tend 

 ihre gegenseitige Abhangiglieit ; by O. von Kirchner. Pp. vi, 

 436 ; with two plates and 159 text-figures. Leipzig and Berlin, 

 1911 (B. 6. Teubner). — The remarkable adaptations which exist 

 between entomophilous flowers and the insects which pollinate 

 them have aroused interest ever since attention was first called to 

 them by Sprengel over a century ago. Professor Kirchner 's 

 book gives a full and clear idea of our present knowledge in this 

 field of biology. Although designed more especially for the pub- 

 lic at large, the volume is full of observations based on personal 

 study and contains much of value to the professional student. 

 After discussing the structure of flowers and of the parts of 

 insects which carry on pollination, the author describes in detail 

 a large number of examples illustrating special adaptations. He 

 classifies them, using the system of H. Midler, into eight groups. 

 The first five are composed of flowers which receive a large vari- 

 ety of insect visitors; the last three of flowers which are visited 

 largely or exclusively by insects belonging to definite natural 

 groups, such as the Hymenoptera. He then discusses the distri- 

 bution of these various groups in different parts of the earth, the 

 causes of floral adaptations, and the theories regarding the origin 

 of flowers. The numerous figures, most of which are original, 

 are carefully drawn and sufficiently enlarged to illustrate clearly 

 the descriptive text. a. w. e. 



3. A Research on the Pines of Australia; by R. T. Baker 

 and H. G. Smith. Pp. xiv, 458 ; with 300 figures (some of them in 

 colors) and 3 maps. Sydney, 1910 (W. A. Gullick). Published 

 by authority of the Government of the State of New South 

 Wales, as No. 16, Technical Education Series. — Botanically 

 speaking, there are no true "pines" native to Australia. The 

 present elaborate work, however, is devoted to Australian Conifers, 

 which are often spoken of as "pines" in the popular sense. 

 Eleven genera are included, the most important, from an eco- 

 nomic standpoint, being Callitris (eighteen species), Araucaria 

 (two species), Agathis (two species), Dacrydium (one species), 

 and Podocarpus (five species). The authors discuss the various 

 species in great detail, not only from the standpoint of botany 

 but also from the standpoints of forestry and chemistry. The} r 

 also consider the practical applications which have been made of 

 the lumber and other forest products. Many of the figures show 

 details of microscopic structure ; others show branches and cones, 

 natural size ; while still others illustrate the various types of 

 coniferous forests found in Australia; All of the figures are 

 reproduced from photographs. a. w. e. 



4. Plant-Life on Land, considered in some of its Biological 

 Aspects; by F. O. Bower. Pp. 172 ; 27 text-figures. Cam- 

 bridge, 1911 (University Press). — A series of essays on terrestrial 

 plants, emphasizing the peculiarities which enable such plants to 

 maintain their existence on the land. a. w. e. 



