152 
NATURE NOTES. 
partly because the pits are overstocked, but chiefly because 
there is no supply of fresh water. The pits are really stagnant. 
They are only gigantic aquaria. They are filled by rain and a 
small amount of land drainage. In wet weather the water rises, 
in dry weather falls, and in extremely dry summers evaporates 
almost entirely away, when the poor fish have bad times of it. 
Possibly in some future generation these circumstances may so 
affect the fish as to produce a permanently stunted race ; but at 
present, I think, they are only stunted for want of space and 
change of water. I should, however, add that there are gen- 
erally just a few large-sized fish in most pits ; and this also is 
one of the mysteries connected with the subject. If a pit 
be dragged with nets, there are generally caught some half- 
dozen really fine fish, and some hundreds, or it may be thou- 
sands, of the small fry. The larger fish are doubtless the parents 
of the smaller ones, but they can scarcely be the original fish 
placed there so long ago. Perhaps they grew to their present 
size before the water was overstocked. 
I think I have nothing more to say concerning marl pits, 
except that Mr. Hope has opened a subject which I trust may 
be as interesting to the readers of Nature Notes as it is to 
myself. And I think we may even be grateful to our forefathers, 
who used so much marl, for having left us all these pits that 
have in time become so attractive to us as field naturalists. 
Robert Holland. 
TWO BOOKS ABOUT WILD FLOWERS. 
Two books of very different stamp come before us for notice. The first is 
one which should accompany eveiy .Swiss traveller who wants to identify the 
plants he meets with on his upland excursions. It is not adapted for everyone, 
but those who have been in the habit of using any one of the text-books for the 
British flora will find it an invaluable companion. Three years ago, at its first 
appearance, we had the pleasure of commending Gremli’s S%vis^ Flora for Totirists 
(D. Nutt, /S. 6d.) to the notice of botanists, and now that we have had further 
opportunities of testing its value, we are glad to bring it before a different circle 
of readers. 
English speaking botanists have reason to be thankful to the translator, Mr. 
L. W. Paitson, for having rendered accessible to them a work which has already 
been translated into Trench, and of which four German editions, extending to 
6, coo copies, have been disposed of. They will also thank the publisher for 
having brought it out in the convenient size and shape so familiar to all who find 
“Bivdeker” their best travelling companion — their gratitude, however, may be a 
little damped rvhen they find that, mislead by the similarity, they have brought 
down one in mistake for the other from the top of some lofty .Swiss hotel. This 
inconvenience, which we know from experience to be more than a possibility, 
might be avoided if the Flora were bound in blue ; and an edition printed on 
thin paper would be a boon to those who, not unreasonably, desire to travel with 
as few impedimenta as possible. 
The plan of the work is very simple and sensible. After a brief introduction, 
explaining the use of the tables, the meaning of abbreviations, dec., we have a 
