its own and as such will be hailed by the fern loving public as another aid to the proper understanding of this most beautiful and attractive section of the vegetable kingdom. Type, paper and presswork all combine to make this a handsome as well as useful book. In the making of his “Flora of the Southeastern United States”[2] Dr. Small has practically worked over anew all the species of that region and the results of this stupendous undertaking are now presented in a bulky octavo volume of nearly fourteen hundred pages. Dr. Chapman’s flora of the same region is fairly conservative, while this one goes to the opposite extreme, being noticeable for the greatly increased number of species and an equal lack of what the older book is inclined to consider varieties or forms. This gives students a choice of books, but it is probable that a beginner will have much difficulty in identifying his plants by the aid of the new one, because of the many closely related forms described as separate species. The book will appeal more to advanced students specializing in a few orders or genera. The nomenclature is, of course, the most radical, even extending beyond the genera and species to the orders, so that new names are proposed for the Leguminosæ, Labiatæ, Scrophulariaceæ and many others. Along with the segregation of species there has been a similar splitting of genera. To the individual familiar with the usual manuals the book will appear almost like the flora of a foreign land. The author, however, has been painstaking and conscientious throughout the work, adhering closely to the ideals prevalent at New York and a few other centers of botanical activity, and if he has produced a volume that will become the object of much criticism he has also produced an excellent illustration of what the recently proposed rules of nomenclature, and new conceptions of species are capable of when allowed full swing. Although not agreeing with his conclusions, even conservative botanists will appreciate the author’s consistency and he is to be congratulated upon the completion of his work. To those who prefer the less elaborate manual, Dr. Small’s book will always be indispensable for reference.