184 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



There are eight excellent coloured plates, reproduced from photo- 

 graphs, and each represents a specimen in the collection of Lieut. -Col. 

 Sir George Holford, K.O.V.O., at Westonbirt, one of the best of these 

 being a very fine reproduction of Brassocatileya Dighyano-Mossiae , 

 Westonbirt variety. We have nothing but praise for this exceedingly 

 well produced work. 



*' Science in Modern Life." Prepared under the editorship of 

 Professor J. E. Ainsworth Davis, M.A. 6 vols. 8vo. 188 + 187 + 

 187 + 236 + 208 + 225 pp. (Gresham Publishing Co., London, 1909-10.) 

 6s. net each vol. 



This work might be styled a "Compendium of the Universe." 

 Consequently the amount of matter on each subject may be said to 

 represent only the essentials which would most interest the general 

 reader. Special attention is given to economic uses. Vol. 1. con- 

 tains astronomy and geology. Vol. II. geology (continued), 

 chemistry and physics. Vol. III. deals with physics (continued), 

 general biology and botany. Vol. IV. botany (continued), zoo- 

 logy, science and the sea fisheries. Vol. V. agriculture, philoso- 

 phical biology, physiology, medicine and anthropology. Vol. VI. con- 

 cludes the series with engineering both on land and water. Vols. III., 

 IV., and V. only will occupy the attention of the botanist and cultivator. 

 In Vol. III. 37 pages are devoted to general biology, and deal with 

 protoplasm, fertilization, the lowest forms of life and their phenomena, 

 &c. Botany owns 23 pages, but has 84 in Vol. IV. ; while 24 are given 

 to philosophical botany in Vol. V. 



In the first chapter of general biology the writer alludes to the 

 difficulty of defining life as he observes "crystals grow." This is 

 misleading to a beginner in science, as they do not change internally, 

 but only increase superficially. So, too, in describing protoplasm as 

 a " colloid," one would think of glue or glass, which are homogeneous 

 in structure ; whereas living protoplasm with its nucleus is of a highly 

 complex organized structure. This is fully explained, however, later 

 on. He very rightly observes that to describe the activities of life, as 

 though known chemical and physical laws gave a complete account of 

 them, is dangerous. These can never account for the "objects " at- 

 tained by forces alone. These must be "directed" and life is the 

 director. This first chapter on protoplasm is a clear, concise, and 

 up-to-date account of its properties with its manifestations of life. 

 Then follows a concise account of the cell and its methods of division, 

 especially the degrees of difference between lower and higher organisms. 

 Brief epitomes of the discoveries of the most important observers are 

 given. This is followed by the life-histories of typical members of the 

 lower types of the animal kingdom. Everything described is of course 

 concise, but very interesting. 



This third volume contains two chapters on botany, and' deals with 

 ecological factors and types of terrestrial vegetation, giving a brief 

 epitome of each in an introductory chapter. The second chapter con- 

 sists of types of terrestrial vegetation, with illustrations, in which the 



