122 The American Naturalist. [February 



Quite often the reader finds himself wishing the author had stated some 

 matter exactly rather than vaguely, e. g., germination of the oospores 

 of Plasmopara viticola. Prillieux is probably right in maintaining 

 that Viala has not satisfactorily determined the aetiology of Brunni- 

 sure and the California vine disease, the microscopic appearances 

 ascribed to a Plasmodiophora being quite as likely due to the effect of 

 strong reagents on the protoplasm of the cell. Some of the figures in 

 this book are excellent, others are very poor. There is no index. 



It is to be hoped that Dr. Sorauer will now bring out another edi- 

 tion of his Handbiich der Pflanzenkrankheiten, or at least of the 2nd 

 volume on parasitic plants which was issued in 1886 and needs revis- 

 ion badly. All of these books are useful to American students, and 

 should certainly find place on the book shelves of every vegetable pathol- 

 ogist. It would seem that the time is not ripe for the appearance of 

 standard American works on this subject. There is, however, great 

 activity in tho study of plant diseases in this country, and we may look 

 for a crop of them within the next decade.— Erwin F. Smith. 



The Iowa University Bahama Expedition. 1 — The history of 

 an educational and scientific experiment is given Mr. C. C. Nutting in 

 this octavo volume of 251 pages. It is published as Bulletins Nos. 1 

 and 2, Vol. Ill, of the laboratories of Natural History of the Iowa 

 State University. The zoology of the region visited is treated of in a 

 general way with a view to giving an idea of the facies of the collec- 

 tions from the several localities. The marine and land invertebrata 

 are treated of quite fully, but none of the vertebrates receive much 

 attention excepting the birds. The beauties of marine life are graphi- 

 cally described, and a considerable number of illustrations add to the 

 general excellence of the get up of the book. An appendix gives a list 

 of commissary stores actually used during the expedition. 



Mr. Nutting, in summing up the results of the expedition, draws at- 

 tention to the fact that this enterprise demonstrates the practicability 

 of accomplishing such results at a cost which is merely nominal. 



The Shrews of North America. 2 — The tenth number in the 

 North American Fauna series published by the U. 8. Department of 

 Agriculture, contains three papers on the Shrews: A revision of the 

 genera Blarina andNotiosorex by Dr. C. H. Merriam, a eynop.-is of the 



•The Bahama Expedition. Hulls. Nos. 1 and 2, Vol. Ill, Laboratories Nat. 

 Hist. Iowa State Univ. Iowa City 1895. 



* North American ] . , \ in, Wu- _ s* i in prying papers by C 



