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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
in which he has turned out the work, in every particular with which the 
publisher has to do. The volumes are such as to uphold the highest credit 
of the house that issues them. When we consider the fact that no book has 
been published on this subject for the last thirty-five years, we can imagine 
what a labour Mr. Cooke’s has been ; and when farther we know that his 
volumes and illustrations have both far exceeded the mark which was 
originally fixed, we may form some idea of the absorbing nature of his work 
in producing them. The review of such a book is a task only for the 
botanist who has devoted a lifetime to the study, and he after all would 
be biassed in his selection of some particular mode of division. To ourselves 
the book seems admirably arranged, and the classification adopted parti- 
cularly clear. Besides, with the help of the engravings, no one need — with 
a little caution — make any mistake in diagnosis. Fungi generally, or 
Sporifera , those plants which have the spores naked and with which the 
present work is especially connected, are divided by Mr. Cooke into Hymeno- 
mycetes , Gasteromycetes, Coniomycetes, and Hyphomycetes. With these four 
divisions his books are especially connected, of which the first of course 
occupies the greater part of volume one ; the others dividing the rest of the 
book between them. So far as we have seen, the arrangement is usually 
simple, so many characters being employed as are absolutely necessary and 
no further, and thus the definition of any particular species, more especially 
of the Hymenomycetes , becomes a task of no great difficulty. The whole book 
is one, therefore, which we can in the highest degree speak well of ; and 
while we beg to return our thanks to Mr. Cooke for the excellence of his 
labours, we cannot but recommend those of our readers who are interested 
in the study of Fungi, to purchase the volumes for themselves. f 
PLANE AND SOLID GEOMETRY.* 
M R. H. W. WATSON has been selected as the author of Messrs. Long- 
mans’ “ Manual of Geometry,” and we think the selection has been 
extremely well made. Although in this little treatise before us there is not 
much that is not to be found in the work of Messrs. Ronch6 and Comber- 
ousse, there are in many instances detailed and important alterations which 
we fancy are to the reader’s advantage. We notice as especially deserving 
attention, that a certain alteration has been made in the non-adoption in 
some instances of the syllogistic method. We think that when these changes 
have been made the author has shown considerable caution, and has not 
altered more than is absolutely necessary. Altogether, we consider the 
present work is every way as good as those in the same series which have 
gone before it. 
* “The Elements of Plane and Solid Geometry.” By H. W. Watson, 
M.A. London: Longmans, 1871. 
