460 
decided progress can be made in deciphering 
these aboriginal documents until we break loose 
from these trammels, and use as a key the few 
characters which can be satisfactorily deter- 
mined otherwise. The attempt, on the part of 
this author, to use the two classes as a basis, 
leads him into some inconsistencies. For ex- 
ample: he interprets his No. 176 (a cardinal- 
point symbol) as Likin (‘east’), and No. 231 
as Ahau-al (‘enemy’); yet the leading char- 
acter in both groups is the same, — the symbol 
of the day, Ahau. If the characters are pho- 
netic, this is inconsistent ; if they are not, then 
each must be determined independently. 
I notice a number of clerical errors in the 
vocabulary, most of which can be readily cor- 
rected: therefore I only call attention to a few 
which may possibly lead to error. Under No. 
174 the reference to No. 188 should be to 190. 
Under 178, Sud (‘south’) should be Ouest 
(‘west’). Under No. 192 reference to 188 
should be to 189. Under No. 200 reference to 
199 should be to 201. 
Of this work only eighty-five copies were 
published ; and of these, as I learn elsewhere, 
but thirty-five or forty were to be offered for 
sale. Cyrus THomas. 
KELLERMAN’S BOTANY. 
The elements of botany, embracing organography, his- 
tology, vegetable physiology, systematic botany, and 
economic botany. Arranged for school use or for 
independent study. By W. A. KELLERMAN, 
Ph.D. Philadelphia, Potter, 1884. 360 p., 354 
fie. 12°: 
TEACHERS of classes composed of beginners, 
to whom they wish to impart some knowledge 
of botany aside from the rudiments of pheno- 
gamic analysis, have long felt the need of an 
elementary text-book a little more comprehen- 
sive in its scope than books of this grade 
usually are, and they turn to every book like 
Professor Kellerman’s with some expectation. 
So far as its scope is concerned, this little 
treatise leaves nothing to be desired. | Besides 
the topics indicated on its titlepage, it briefly 
treats of vegetable paleontology and the geo- 
graphical distribution of plants. In the main, 
each topic is fairly presented, considering the 
needs of the pupils for whom the book: is 
written ; but a lack of care in the final revision 
of the manuscript is frequently noticeable in 
badly constructed sentences ; and those minor 
errors which so persistently make their way 
into text-books written by the most competent 
authors are found pretty liberally scattered 
through the pages. 
SCIENCE. 
Even more serious than 
these are several statements, which, from their 
brevity or other causes, are likely to mislead — 
the reader: e.g., the generalizations concern-— 
ing plant-food (p. 12), the office of the leaf 
(p. 15), the absence of chlorophyll in parasites 
(p. 19), and metastasis (p. 107), most of which 
are qualified in other places; and the state- 
ments with respect to the decay of insects cap- 
tured by Nepenthes (p. 107), the growth from 
a single cell in all Pteridophytes (p. 154), and 
the necessity of extraneous aid in the pollina- 
tion of all orchids, which find no correction. 
The usual number of old errors are further dis- 
seminated ; e.g., the cotyledonary nature of the 
persistent leaves of Welwitschia (p. 165), the 
fertilization of dioecious Saprolegnieae by sper- 
matozoids (p. 134), the intercommunication of 
tracheides through their bordered pits (p. 75), 
and free-cell origin ‘ about new centres of forma- 
tion’ in endosperm, etc. (p. 81). 
The writers of several recent text-books have 
been unfortunate in illustrating their works ; 
old and well-worn figures being borrowed, or 
home-made drawings being cheaply photo- 
engraved, for the occasion. The book before 
us unfortunately suffers in both ways. Quite 
a percentage of the illustrations are taken from 
the floral advertisements of the late Mr. Vick, 
and it must be said that few of them convey a 
correct idea of the plants they are named after. 
Nearly three hundred figures are original, and, 
properly executed, would add very greatly to 
the value of the book. As it is, they reflect 
much credit on the industry of the author; but 
several fall quite as far short of reality as the 
so-called ‘cat’ whose problematical contour 
puzzled the readers of a zodlogical text-book 
not many years since. 
While the book is unsatisfactory in its exe- 
cution in many respects, it comes nearer to 
filling a serious gap in botanical literature 
than any other thus far published; and, not- 
withstanding its shortcomings, it is a welcome 
addition to the teacher’s auxiliaries, its low 
price allowing it to be put in the hands of 
students who could not afford a more expen- 
sive book in addition to the systematic man- 
uals used by most elementary classes. 
THE SOCIETY OF MICROSCOPISTS. 
Proceedings of the American society of microscopists. — 
Sixth annual meeting, held at Chicago, Ill, — 
Aug. 7, 8, 9, and 10, 1883. Buffalo, Haas g 
Klein, pr., 1883. 4+ 275 p., illustr. 8°. 
THE proceedings of this society are pub- — 
lished with commendable promptitude, and 
[Von. IIL, No. 62. 
