BOOKS RECEIVED. 



585 



BOOKS RECEIVED. 



" Chemistry of Plant and Animal Life." By H. Snyder. (The Mac- 

 millan Co.) 8vo. 406 pages. 6s. net. 



This book is of American origin. The Macmillan Co. are publishing 

 many handbooks written by the leading authorities in rural science, and 

 a lmost all these books are of the highest value to persons interested in 

 the subjects with which they deal. With very few exceptions these works 

 are not appreciated to anything like the extent they should be, and as they 

 certainly will be when rural science is dealt with as thoroughly and 

 practically as it is in America. The book is on the whole a good one, the 

 statements are clear, and it is well arranged. The instructions and cautions 

 on manipulations are excellent — in this respect greatly in advance of most 

 of the ordinary text-books. The methods of teaching by experiment, 

 observation, and deductions, only the earnest practical teacher and student 

 will sufficiently appreciate. We disagree with the author about such a 

 statement as is made on page 168, that as soils contain traces of soluble 

 silicates of aluminum, plants cannot well be free from aluminum. These 

 substances, being mostly colloidal and therefore non-diffusible, although 

 soluble, cannot under ordinary conditions enter the plant. 



Probably the book will not impress the casual reader as being of such 

 merit as it really is. It is not so good as some above referred to in this 

 review, but the more the critic reads it the more he will like it. Probably 

 it will not be extensively read in England — the published price is too high 

 for our home students. Fortunate the student who either has the 

 wisdom or the advice to select this book and masters it. 



" Plant Geography, upon a Physiological Basis." By Dr. A. F. W. 

 Schimper. Translated by W. R. Fisher ; edited by P. Groom and 

 Dr. I. B. Balfour. (H. Frowde, Amen Corner, E.C.) Large 8vo. 839 pages. 

 Issued in 4 parts, 9s. each part. 



This large and important work is the latest exposition of Ecology. 

 The subject matter is divided into three Sections : I. The Factors, 

 II. Formations and Guilds, III. Zones and Regions. 



The first part deals with the influences of water, heat, light, air, soil, 

 and animals, these supplying the external forces of the environment, in 

 response to which plants vary in adaptation. The chapters are very 

 brief ; but a long bibliography is given — principally German — dealing 

 with each subject at the end of each chapter. 



In Part II. the climatic and edaphic factors are described, the latter 

 being the influences of soils. These give rise to " formations " of plants, 

 the term signifying the general type and facies of a flora characteristic of 

 special districts, grouped as woodland, grassland, and desert. 



The author then discusses what he calls " Guilds." These are smaller 

 and very specialised groups, such as lianes, epiphytes, parasites, sapro- 

 phytes, and insectivorous plants. 



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