270 
THE .TOUJiNAL OF BOTANY 
under “ Lignum Quassia 5 ,” the vessels are stated to measure tangen¬ 
tially in transverse section up to 110 or 120 n, whereas one has 
measured them up to ISO /j, and the drawing in tig. 75 shows vessels 
measuring up to 180 p tangentially and up to 200 /x radially, the 
maximum radial measurement recorded being 140 /j.. Similarly, the 
libriform fibres are described as having a length of 750 to 900/x, 
whereas the reviewer has measured them from 500 to 1100 fi. Again, 
under “ Folia Laurocerasi,” the height of both the upper and lower 
epidermal cells is given as 25 /x, whereas those of the lower epidermis 
are always smaller than those of the upper. In the case of leaves 
like those of j Eucalyptus, where there is a very thick cuticle, no 
indication is given as to the proportion existing between the lumen 
and the thickened outer wall. 
The more one studies this book, the more one feels the need of 
detailed drawings to accompany the elaborate descriptions which are 
given of simple structures such as starches, and of more complex 
organs such as leaves and fruits. A glance at a good drawing will 
reveal much more than can be conveyed in written words and is 
always needed to assist the mind in the effort to visualise the objects 
described. It seems to us that both drawings and descriptions are 
necessary, and the book serves a very useful purpose in directing 
attention to the meagreness of many anatomical descriptions and in 
formulating schemes and providing examples for their adequate 
treatment. It should be in the possession of all serious students of 
microscopical pharmacognosy, and will do much to stimulate thought 
and work in this important department of Economic Botany. 
T. E. Wallis. 
BOOK-NOTES, NEWS, etc. 
Tiie first Annual Report of the British Bryological Society affords 
gratifying evidence of the energy and activity of this recent addition 
to our scientific bodies—an amalgamation, we gather from the letter 
of the Secretary, Mr. D. A. Jones, M.Sc., of the two sections of the 
Moss Exchange Club. The number of members in July was 87 ; 
Mr. H. N. Dixon is President; Messrs. F. Rilstone and Albert 
Wilson are distributors for Mosses and Hepatics respectively ; Mr. J. 
A. Wheldon is Treasurer, and there is a representative list of referees. 
Among the most interesting records is that of Lophozici Kunzeana , 
from the Isle of Man, hitherto known only from the Scottish High¬ 
lands. From an editorial standpoint, the Report is open to criticism. 
It contains lists, with localities and notes, of Sphagna, Mosses, and 
Hepatics, but the text begins abruptly “ Sphagna ” without any 
preliminary indication on what principle the lists are compiled, 
beyond Ithe note under Sphagna that “An Asterisk ( # ) denotes New 
Vice-Comital Records.” The typographical arrangements, as the 
sentence just quoted shows, are susceptible of improvement; and 
there are no headings to the pages —a serious drawback to the use¬ 
fulness of the work. There are obituary notices of W. H. Pearson, 
Vice-President of the Society, and of W. Ingham (1854-1923), who 
had been for many years Secretaiy of the Moss Exchange Club. We 
