The two species of Myrica discussed here are highly variable in habit. For M. pensylvanica this variability has resulted in the production of a locally common habit-form that will not key out in one of the two standard northeastern North American manuals and that is ignored in the description of the species in the second. For M. cerifera the variability has brought about the recognition and naming of two taxa when, in reality, only one exists.
In CASTANEA 29: 192-193, I reported, in 1964, Galium boreale L. var. hyssopifolium (Hoffm.) DC. additional to the Virginia flora. The site was in Botetourt County, north bank of the James River, equidistant between the towns of Eagle Rock and Buchanan. At that time I speculated subjectively that the plant might not be native as it is occasionally cultivated and the habitat did not seem typical.
The shale barrens of western Virginia continue to yield novelties. In May, 1960 I was attracted to a population of exceptionally handsome skullcap plants growing on roadbanks and slopes of the Harper shale, just east of Millboro, Bath County, on old Virginia Highway 39. Several were transplanted to my garden on the Piedmont.
Someone has said of this little paperback that it “is a bothersome book—it makes the reader think rather than lulling him with information.” While it certainly would not be suitable as a textbook in general biology, it might well be required as a companion to a thorough text, leading students to a fuller understanding of the facts presented.
This is a manual of botanical techniques, in which are described many experimental and research methods of interest to teachers, researchers, and students alike. There are references for each chapter, permitting the reader to pursue any particular method farther.
These two books are from a series of three, the remaining one being (unpublished to date) “The Biology of Populations.” The series was written as an attempt to show “modern Biology” in terms of its three levels—cell, organism, and population. These levels are discussed as separate entities, but are tied together by an emphasis on the uniformities of nature, and by the generalizations which apply to all living forms. There is a definite attempt to teach processes—not details—in other words, to convey an understanding of Biology, not merely a list of memorizable quantitatives.
Many researchers today have a problem of illustrating their work, and many articles could (and should be) better illustrated. In spite of the popularity of “snapshots,” the truly difficult field of accurately portraying a subject for technical purposes is less popular, and this book is an attempt to help the people who must have the latter.
For all natural scientists interested in the living organism, this book will be interesting and exciting reading. Professor Sturtevant, a Professor Emeritus at the California Institute of Technology, has, perhaps, the best background for such writing of anyone presently in the field of Genetics. His long acquaintance with the men and the research in the field, gave him a special understanding of the importance of each work—and his excellent gift for writing makes every one of them seem the most important and most interesting one.
This book is designed to assist the student of the biological and medical sciences in improving his knowledge and appreciation of physical and chemical principles which are important to a better understanding of living organisms. It might be used either as a textbook in biophysics or a reference book for students of cell biology or biochemistry. Among subjects covered, as indicated by chapter headings, are the atom, chemical bonds, amino acids and peptides, protein structure, the nucleic acids, mechanisms of genetic control, viruses, polysaccharides, lipids, elements of thermodynamics, equilibrium and the energy functions, physical and chemical equilibria, transport phenomena, and kinetics of chemical reactions.
Nehemiah Grew was one of the founders of plant anatomy and one of the pioneers in the use of the microscope. The London of his day was the home of many great men, and the scene of many thrilling events. Among these events was the establishment of the Royal Society of London, one of the most significant developments in the history of science. Among the early members were Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, and Godfrey Copley. Among the important functions of the Society that began very early was the publication of scientific studies. In the first quarter-century of its history classic papers by Robert Hooke (Micrographia), Marcello Malpighi, and Antony van Leeuwenhoek were published.