138 Two Recent Nature-Study Books. 
climate and soil, together with an element of chance, arising partly 
from imperfect exploiation and partly from the accidents of seed- 
dispersal. 
But although these relation are not fully explained by the theory 
that these are islands of emergence casually seeded, they are much le^s 
in accord with the theory of subsidence. For if the florulae were 
remnants of a common flora persisting upon islands separated by 
gradual subsidence, it is evident that those islands would possess the 
most floral similarity which were nearest together and divided by the 
shallowest channels, since these would have been separated from each 
other more recently than the remoter islands, which are cui off by a 
greater depth of ocean. Hence the botanical evidence, so far as 
it has yet been made out, is opposed rather than favorable to the 
subsidence theory. A. B. RENDLE. 
TWO RECENT NATURE-STUDY BOOKS. 
First Studiks of Pj,anT Lific, by George Francis Atkinson, Ph. B., 
Professor of Botany in Cornell University. Boston, U.S.A., Ginn and 
Company (British Headquarters, 9, bt.Martin’s Street, W.C.) 1902. 
Nature Studies (Pi.anT Life), by G. F. Scott Elliott, M.A., Cantab, 
etc., Lecturer on Botany, Glasgow and West of .Scotland Technical College 
etc. Loudon, Blackie and Sou, 1903. 
I T must always be a more difficult matter to write a successful 
book intended to appeal to children, than a good treatise for 
adult students. Not only must the author have that thorough 
knowledge of his subject, and those gifts of logical arrangement 
and clear exposition, which are essential to the production of a 
sound work of any sort, but he must have the powers of sympathy 
and imagination which enable him to put himself in the place of 
the fresh young mind, whose method of attacking the problems 
around him are often so different from those of the grown and 
“educated” one. At the same time, he must above all things 
avoid the appearance of “writing down” to his audience, for 
nothing irritates an intelligent child more than that. In short, the 
combination of qualities needed is necessarily a rare one, and there 
are very few really first-rate children’s books of science. 
Professor Atkinson’s attempt is certainly strikingly good. He 
presents the leading facts of the life and work of plants in absolute¬ 
ly the right spirit, and in a vigorous and attractive style. At every 
point that can possibly be illustrated by direct observation or simple 
experiment the reader is told how and where to make the 
observation or how to perform the experiment; and the 261 pages 
of large type are illustrated by no less than 308 , for the most part 
excellent, cuts and photographs, representing the most varied things, 
from the bursting into flame of a glowing splinter in the oxygen 
given off by the leaves of a water-plant in sunlight, to American 
desert-communities and the “ Struggles of a White Pine.” The 
great advantage the author gains from being a thoroughly trained 
professional botanist is at once obvious here, besides accuracy of 
statement (not always a conspicuous feature of this class of work), 
a general breadth of treatment and a correct perspective are 
obtained; while many of the experiments, simple as they are, 
would only have suggested themselves to one well acquainted with 
