28o 
Book  Revieivs. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Phaini. 
\       Juue,  1911. 
Dr.  T.  Martin  Lowry  is  the  author  of  the  chapters  deahng  with  the 
hydrocarbons  and  ketones  of  essential  oils  " ;  Mr.  Ernest  C.  Parry 
has  prepared  the  general  monograph  on  volatile  or  essential  oils 
while  the  special  characters  of  the  individual  essential  oils  "  has 
been  left  in  the  hands  of  Dr.  Henry  Leffmann  and  Prof.  Charles 
H.  La  Wall.  While  probably  nothing,  that  has  been  done  in  the 
study  of  essential  oils,  can  compare  with  the  publications  of 
Schunniel  &  Co.,  yet  the  subject  is  one  of  such  great  imix)rtance 
that  analysts  welcome  the  contributions  from  all  practical  writers, 
particularly  when  methods  and  results  are  presented  in  a  readily 
available  form  as  we  find  them  in  this  volume. 
A  Research  on  the  Pines  of  Australia.  By  Richard  T. 
Baker,  F.L.S.,  and  Henry  G.  Smith,  F.C.S.  Published  by  author- 
ity of  "  The  Government  of  the  State  of  New  South  Wales."  Sid- 
ney :  William  Applegate  Gullick,  Government  Printer.  1910. 
This  is  another  one  of  those  comprehensive  and  illuminating 
publications  that  has  emanated  from  the  Technological  Museum, 
New  South  Wales.  Here  are  two  earnest  workers,  who  are  dis- 
tinguished by  reason  of  their  earlier  work  on  the  Eucalypts  and 
their  essential  oils  "  (see  this  Journal^  Vol.  76)  and  who  have  now 
completed  a  self-imposed  and  arduous  task  "  which  was  made  pos- 
sible by  the  help  and  assistance  of  the  higher  officers  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Public  Instruction.  This  recent  work  of  Baker  and  Smith, 
like  their  previous  monograph  on  the  Eucalypts  will  endure  and 
is  an  example  to  individuals  and  governments  if  they  would  do 
something  that  is  worth  while.  As  Linnaeus  well  said  in  one  of 
his  addresses  while  professor  in  the  University  of  Upsala,  to 
do  great  things  one  must  leave  little  things  alone." 
The  authors  state  that  of  the  32  genera  described  in  Bentham 
and  Hooker's  Genera  Plantarum/'  1 1  are  found  in  Australia  and 
Tasmania.  As  a  result  of  their  studies  these  genera  are  presented 
in  the  following  sequence:  Callitris  with  18  species;  Actinostrobus 
Vvath  2  species;  Disclma  ( Fitzroya)  and  Microcachrys,  each  with 
one  species;  Athrotaxis  with  3  species;  Araitcaria  and  Agathis 
with  2  species  each;  (Dacrydium)  with  i  species;  Pherosphcera 
with  2  species ;  Phyllocladus  with  i  species,  and  Podocarpus  with 
5  species. 
It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  while  the  work  is  entitled  "  A 
Research  on  the  Pines  of  Australia,"  not  a  single  representative  of 
