200 
Aspects of Ecology. 
the quickened activity brought its own dangers. The variations of 
plant combinations are almost infinite, and while it is comparatively 
an easy task to describe and photograph some of these combina¬ 
tions, adding a few notes on the more obvious physical conditions, 
it is a task of great, perhaps unexampled, difficulty to investigate 
the real causal relations of the one to the other. While the former 
pursuit, whose facility has proved fatally attractive to some, leads 
only to the piling up of endless, more or less unrelated, observations, 
the latter, when carried out successfully even over a narrow field, 
leads to genuine additions to scientific knowledge, and, like all real 
advance, immediately gives vantage points from which clearer views 
of obscure phenomena can be obtained. 
From this point of view Dr. Clements’ book is timely. The 
protests of the author against the prevalent dillettantism are vigorous 
and trenchant. “ The bane of the recent development popularly 
known as ecology,” he says, “ has been a widespread feeling that 
anyone can do ecological work, regardless of preparation. There 
is nothing in modern botany more erroneous than this feeling. 
The comprehensive and fundamental character of the subject makes 
a broad special training even more requisite than in more restricted 
lines of botanical inquiry.” “The organic connection between 
ecology and floristic has produced an erroneous impression as to the 
relative value of the two. Floristic has required little knowledge, 
and less preparation; it lends itself with insidious ease to chance 
journeys or to vacation trips, the fruits of which are found in vague 
descriptive articles, and in the multiplication of fictitious formations. 
.The great readiness with which floristic lists and descriptions 
can be made has led many a botanist, working in a small area, or 
passing hurriedly through an extended region, to try his hand at 
formation making. From this practice have resulted scores of 
so-called formations, which are mere patches, consocies, or stages 
in development, or which have, indeed, no existence other than in 
the minds of their discoverers. The misleading definiteness which 
a photograph seems to give a bit of vegetation has been responsible 
for a surplus of photographic formations, which have no counter¬ 
parts in nature.” 
The criticisms contained in these extracts are sane and salutary, 
and the points are emphasised by reference to adequate methods of 
investigation. Dr. Clements is in favour of laying out a plan of 
work lasting several years and extending over a wide region. One 
or more seasons are devoted to “ reconnaissance,” which consists in 
