PLANT-LIFE OF THE OXFORD DISTRICT 
153 
should nevertheless be rather chary, despite the “oral instruction,” of 
placing this volume in the hands of the novice, for whom neither the 
matter nor the manner seems suited. To mention but a single small 
point in reference to the latter, one cannot but deplore the continual 
use of the word “ regression ” for phases in succession—a term par¬ 
ticularly inappropriate when applied to the seres of a newly-created 
habitat such as a disused road, and generally calculated to foster 
a totally erroneous conception in the student’s mind. 
The earlier sections treat of the general physical features of the 
area—its climate, geology, and physiography, though with little 
indication of how these aifect the existing vegetation. There follows 
an account of primary woodland, in which considerable space is devoted 
to theoretical considerations respecting the origin of the arboreal and 
herbaceous habits. From the treatment of the latter the author 
passes on to consider aquatics. 
The latter half of the book is decidedly attractive. Here Dr. 
Church discusses the effect of man’s influence as exhibited on the 
flora of the roadside, the coppiced wood, the meadow or the arable 
held. The importance of the historical factor in moulding the 
character of the vegetation, especially during the past fifteen hundred 
years, is often too much overlooked, and here receives adequate recog¬ 
nition. During this period man has created artificial environments, 
each with a flora of its own, built in part from the constituents 
of pre-existing natural communities, in part from new immigrants 
whose dispersal and establishment has been facilitated by human 
activities. Of these and kindred subjects there is much local in¬ 
formation both in the text and the numerous footnotes, and the 
digressions on a variety of more or less relevant matters gives the 
reader something of that pleasurable mental sensation associated with 
“ browsing ” in a library. 
One cannot conclude this notice without reference to the fifteen 
photographic reproductions, of which several are of high technical and 
artistic merit. 
E. J. S. 
Botany of the Living Plant. By F. O. Bower, Sc.D., F.R.S., 
Regius Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow. 
8vo, pp. xii, 634, with frontispiece and 482 text-figs. Mac¬ 
millans, London, 1923. Price 2 5s. net. 
Though the fact is not noted on the titlepage, Prof. Bower’s 
Preface indicates that this is a second edition of his text-book pub¬ 
lished in 1919; and the preface draws attention to the changes which 
have been introduced in the work. The first edition was reviewed 
at some length in this Journal in 1919 (pp. 226-9) : the review, 
which was not signed, showed evidence of a careful examination of 
the work and suggested various possibilities of improvement; the 
reviewer also questioned the value of the University Course of Ele¬ 
mentary Botany, as exemplified by Prof. Bower’s text-book, in afford¬ 
ing a scientific training comparable with the general presentation of 
