SHORT NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
153 
SHORT NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
British Forest Trees and their Sylvicultural Characteristics and Treatment, 
by John Nisbet. (Macmillan & Co., pp. 352, 8vo, price 6.s. ) 
Selbornians are, perhaps, naturally prone to prefer the forester to the agri- 
culturist, as the former, even in his plantations, interferes less with wild nature 
than the man who trims and narrows the hedgerows, “clears” the land of 
“ weeds,” and sees to the purity of his seed-supply. If, however, our foresters 
were to adopt the recommendations made by Dr. Nisbet on the plea of strictly 
economical sylviculture, our woodlands would become as barren to the botanist as 
the best cultivated of farm lands. Dr. Nisbet strongly recommends closer planting 
and “the maintenance of close canopy” for the express purpose of killing off 
“ weed.s.” lie does not, however, advocate pure forest, or the cultivation of bne 
species by itself, so that in the scientific future of our woods, if we have few weeds, 
we may yet have a variety of tree life. The learned forester’s book contains a 
good deal as to the requirements, diseases and other dangers of our various forest 
trees that will interest both the land-ovvner and the tree-lover who may happen to 
be landless. G. S. B. 
Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein and Co. 'have a considerable number of blocks of 
flowers — some good, others bad — which they utilise in various of their publica- 
tions. Some of them appear in Town Flowers, a well-intentioned little twopenny 
book which they have just issued. It is heralded by a preface written by two 
dignitaries of the Established Church, who say that the writer “ has had special 
opportunities of studying ” flowers. If this be so, it is to be regretted that these 
opportunities have not been turned to greater advantage, for the little book is by 
no means satisfactory. Many of the plants in the list are unsuitable, and there 
are many mistakes, although the author’s object is “to have corrected as far as 
possible” the “differences and errors” met with in “growers’ catalogues;” and 
the information given regarding each plant, or group of plants, is so meagre as to 
be useless. Among the plants figured as ‘ ‘ town flowers ” is the Victoria regia ! 
As The Field Naturalist' s Handbook (Cassell and Co., 8vo, pp. vi., 167, price 
5s.) has reached a fifth edition, it would seem that many people must have found it 
of service. The “general hints” prefaced to the list for each month are useful, 
though somewhat meagre ; but the lists themselves are very unsatisfactory. To 
take only the plants, we observe a number of misprints, such as Eudorea for 
Udora, which are simply inexcusable in a fifth edition ; while a large number of 
species are included which have no claim whatever to appear in British lists, 
although they were inserted in our floras of fifty or more years since. Among 
these may.be noted more than one Potentilla, Geranium nodosum (“Hertfordshire 
and Cumberland ”), Stcllaria scapigera (a form of S. graminea, not met with 
since George Don’s time). Ranunculus gramineus (“dry mountain pastures”), 
Achillea tomentosa, Epimedium alpintan, and many more. These should 
certainly be eliminated ; on the other hand, the somewhat numerous additions to 
our flora during the last fifty years find no place. Mr. Theodore Wood would 
do well to secure the services of some botanist to revise the list, which is too 
evidently the compilation of one not practically acquainted with the subject. The 
remarks on nomenclature seem to us based on mi.sconception, and the honey- 
suckle certainly does not derive its Latin name Lonicera from “ Adam Lonice." 
We have more than once (Nature Notes, 1893, PP- 5 L ^9), noticed the 
excellent F'ieLi-path Rambles by Walker Miles, and are glarl now to chronicle 
the appearance of the four series in a neat and compact pocket volume, which 
also contains a useful series of twenty-one maps, and is well worth the four 
shillings charged for it. West Kent, to which the book is devoted, may be easily 
and pleasantly explored by the aid of the practical directions laid down, and the 
pedestrian will find Mr. Miles an admirable companion on a stroll. We are glad 
to note that several series of rambles in other rural districts near London are in 
preparation, and that the maps may be had separately in a suitable case. We 
think the volume would be improved in appearance by the omission of the ad- 
vertisements at the end, and the red border to the pages strikes us as more 
singular than pretty. 
