BOOK REVIEWS. 



587 



" Lehrbuch der Pflanzengeographie. " By Dr. P. Grabner. 8vo. 

 viii + 303. (Quelle and Meyer, Leipzig, 1910.) M. 8. 



The first third of this book deals with the relationships of plants, 

 both fossil and present-day, such subjects as seasonal dimorphism, 

 mutations, bud variations, methods of distribution and so on. The 

 next seventy pages are devoted to a description of the characteristic 

 floras of the various "floral regions," e.g., the northern cold and 

 temperate zones are considered under the sub-heads "Arctic Flora," 

 "Sub-arctic region," "Woodland region of the northern cool tem- 

 perate zone," " Mediterranean region," and " Steppe region," and so 

 with the other parts of the globe. The last part of the book gives an 

 account of the local distribution of plants (oecology). The author has 

 thus brought together between the covers of one work an excellent 

 review of the whole subject of Plant Geography — one that is of the 

 most intense interest to everyone who desires to cultivate his plants 

 intelligently. 



"The Evolution of Living Organisms." By E. S. Goodrich, 

 M.A., F.E.S. sm. 8vo. 108 pp. (Jack, London, 1912.) M. net. 



One of the " People's Books," an excellent condensed account of 

 the factors which have led to the evolution of existing forms, especially 

 of animals from which group most of the evidence is drawn. The 

 writing is for the most part clear and reasonably free from technical 

 terms. 



" The Flora of Bristol." By J. W. White. 8vo. ix -i- 722 pp. 

 Map. (Wright, Bristol, 1912.) 13s. 6d. net. 



This account of " the flowering plants and ferns that have been at 

 any time found in the district of the Bristol coalfields," with sketches 

 of " the topography, physical features, climate, &c.," notes on the 

 origin of the flora, and " biographical notices of those botanists who 

 have engaged in botanical research at Bristol during the past 350 years, 

 has evidently been a labour of love to the author. That it has been a 

 labour of time no one can doubt, for care has been taken to verify- 

 personally all doubtful records, including that delightful mistake of 

 recognizing Linnaea horealis on a cricket pitch! (The plant turned 

 out to be Anagallis tenella. Surely it must have been soft cricket played 

 there!) The delights of botanical research into local floras are many, 

 the outdoor field work, the searching of museums, the dipping into 

 almost forgotten volumes, the intimate acquaintance one gains of the 

 leisure occupations of long past naturalists, and the pleasant friendships 

 made with present-day ones — the author has tasted them all, and 

 has withal brought to bear a critical faculty which, perhaps, some 

 enthusiastic botanists have lacked. 



The result has been the production of an exceedingly good flora. 

 The district includes the glorious Gorge of the Avon, whence still the 

 Bristolians " sell the subhme and beautiful by the boatload," and where 

 so many rare plants have their home ; various geological formations are 

 touched, and the seashore also lends its plants so that the district is 



