252 
Review and Book Notices. 
thalli became black and shrivelled, but they evidently 
perennate by means of growing-points which remain dormant, 
but living, for in March green lobes grow from the dead 
remains of last year. In April these thalli are richly covered 
with gemmae-cups, but the asexual stage does not last long. 
In June very numerous sexual branches are produced which, 
in the two seasons during which they have been observed, 
have been exclusively female. That male plants are quite 
absent is probable, as no capsules are formed. Many of the 
female receptacles have withered by the end of July, but 
young ones are still being formed at the apex. The thallus 
begins tc blacken in August, and soon, except for the growing 
points, is quite dead. Gemmae were produced by all the 
plants, but sexual branches only in those parts of the reed-bed 
where a closed marsh vegetation was able to grow. Where 
the peat was more damp Phragmites and Marchantia grew by 
themselves in an open community ; here the liverwort 
reproduced only by gemmae in the spring. 
REVIEWS AND BOOK NOTICES. 
Birds of the Ocean, by W. B. Alexander. With 140 illustrations 
mostly reproductions of photographs, 1-428 pp., size 4^+7 inches, 
published in 1928 by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York and London, 
price $3.50 U.S. or fifteen shillings. This is a ‘ Handbook for Voyagers' 
and contains descriptions of all the sea birds of the world, with notes 
on their habits and guides to their identification. This book is invaluable 
to all those who * Go down to the sea in ships ’ and take pleasure in the 
birds seen at sea. With the aid of the photographs, descriptions and 
keys it is possible to name any sea bird observed. One feature of par- 
ticular value is the series of plates in which the author has drawn, side 
by side, usually in flight, a series of birds of closely related species, 
e.g. on Plate 25 have been drawn twelve gulls and on Plate 37 ten terns ; 
these plates are a great aid to identification of a species. In the early 
summer of 1933, with the aid of this book, we were able to identify all 
the birds seen on a voyage from Hong Kong to England, with the excep- 
tion of certain land birds seen from the Suez Canal. No scientific know- 
ledge is necessary in order to be able to make full use of this book. 
Watchings, by W. R. Calvert. Putnam, xvL-l-304, 6/-. Those 
who read and enjoyed ‘ Just round the Corner ’ will like this book. 
Those who do not know Mr. Calvert’s writings will not be disappointed 
if they begin with ‘ Watchings.’ Taking the months one by one, Mr. 
Calvert gives us scores of delightful essays on wild life, and he not only 
knows the art of telling and graphic description, but he is a keen and 
exact observer. 
The Way of a Bee, by George Rendl. Translated from the German 
by Patrick Kir wan. Longmans Green & Co., vi+168 pp., 6/-. The 
author of this book, although a poet, has an intimate knowledge of the 
honey bee, and has compressed into a very short space a readable, 
straightforward account of the life in the beehive throughout the year. 
In spite of a marked avoidance of technical phraseology, the author 
gives much detail and is most accurate. The translator’s style is pleasing 
and he has caught the author’s mood. 
The Naturalist 
