TWO BOOKS ON TREES.*
A LARGE and a small book on trees have appeared about the same time, and may be noticed together. The former is a finely-got-up, massive volume with magnificent photographs in great profusion, and is fit to lie on any gentleman's drawing- room table. The latter is a humbler and less pretentious work intended for the million, also illustrated with photo- graphs of trees and leaves, but of a size convenient to slip into the pocket. Trees and their Ltle Histories, for which Mr. Irving has supplied over five hundred illustrations, opens with an introduction which will be useful and instructive to those who are not botanists. Nearly seventy well-known kinds of trees are then described. In the text a very happy mixture of scientific and popular writing will be found. Descriptions— and for those who take the pains to use them, analytical tables—render it possible to identify any ordinary tree that is likely to be found growing in the gardens or arboreta of this country. Mr. Percy Groom, who dates his preface from Chelsea Physic Garden, writes with ample knowledge of his subject, and, thanks to the aid of the photographer, has pro- duced a handsome volume. Mr. Heath, who is the author of Our British Trees, is a veteran writer on the subject. Over thirty years ago he began with Our Woodland Trees. To him trees are "the buildings of God." He deals with rather over sixty trees, giving us information as to their appearance, native county, virtues, uses, and legends. He supplies references to Holy Writ and to poets. His style is popular, and of the sort which is inclined to take pleasure in pointing out that "this is one of the interesting mysteries of nature that our boasted science' can tell us nothing about." But many of his readers will none the less obtain instruction and pleasure if they carry his little book in country walks. It may be objected with truth that many of the " trees " are scarcely "British," as, for instance, the larch, mulberry, and laburnum, and that others can by no stretching of terms be called "trees." Among the latter we may mention the gorse, ivy, and bramble. Latin names are given, but, by a slip probably, the bird-cherry is described as Cerasus pada&
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