BOOKS AND WRITERS. 
Mr. O.W.Barrett, whose contributions in this journal 
have interested many readers, has resigned his position as 
Entomologist and Botanist of the Porto Rico Experiment 
Station to accept the position of Plant Introducer of the 
United States Department of Agriculture with head- 
quarters at Washington. He will have charge of the 
distribution of the tropical and sub-tropical plant stock 
as well as the inspection of incoming and outgoing ship- 
ment of such stock. 
A curious little booklet that no doubt wall prove most 
attractive to children interested in nature studies is " My 
Own Book of Three Flowers that Blossom in April and 
May " by Anna Botsford Comstock. The flowers selected 
are such common ones as hepatica, trilHum and spring 
beauty. There is a photograph of each of the six plants 
considered, a conventi<mal design suggested by the plant, 
two pages of popular descriptive text for each, two pages 
of questions for the child to answer about each flower, 
and in addition room for the child's own description of 
the plant and a water-color sketch. It is safe to say that 
the child that follows out the suggestions made in this 
book will add much to his knowledge of the plant. (New 
York, The American Book Co., 1904.) 
In 1886 Professors Arthur, Barnes and Coulter issued 
a little book on " Plant Dissection" and this, revised and 
rewritten by Otis W. Caldwell has recently appeared 
under the title of " Plant MorphologA^" Essentially it is 
a series of directions for the study of the structure and 
methods of reproduction of a series of plants illustrating 
all the principal groups, beginning with alg£e. For the 
most part the student is told what to observe and few 
questions are asked. At the beginning and end of each 
study is also more or less information or phases of the 
subject not easily observed in the laboratory. There is 
an unusually good glossary but the author's ideas of 
p riodical botanical Hterature apparently need revising. 
(New York, Henry Holt & Co., 1904.) 
