NOTES AND LITERATURE 



BOTANY 



The Origin of a Land Flora. 1 — Speculations concerning the origin 

 of the higher plants have always had a special attraction for 

 the botanical student whose work extends beyond the limits of 

 mere collecting and tabulation. Perhaps the very fact that we 

 can never expect to discover all of the factors concerned with 

 the evolution of the vegetable kingdom, and that our conclusions 

 are always liable to be materially altered through the discovery 

 of new facts, or ;i different interpretation of those already known, 

 gives an added zest to the hunt for new forms or the discovery of 

 new facts about those already known which may add another 

 stone to the edifice which is being slowly built up. 



The volume under consideration is one deserving more than 

 passing attention from the student of plant evolution. Not only 

 is it the work of one of the keenest investigators of some of the 

 most difficult problems with which the botanist has to deal, but 

 the book represents the fruits of many years' arduous labor, but 

 evidently a labor of love, which has yielded results of the utmost 

 importance and provides a mine of accurate information, pre- 

 sented in an unusually clear and attractive style. From a 

 literary standpoint, it might well be recommended as a model to 

 some of our scientific writers who, it must be confessed, do ao1 

 always compare very favorably with their English colleagues in 

 the matter of literary form. 



Aside from the wealth of facts brought together in this hand- 

 some volume, illustrated by many admirable illustrations, the 

 reader constantly encounters speculations, sometimes almost 

 startling in their originality, with which he may not always 



agree, but which arc certain to set him thinking deeply; and 

 we believe that this book will be a great stimulus to the further 



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