LITERARY NOTICES. 



5 6 3 



value of our diplomatic representation there 

 under Mr. Benjamin, we are informed that 

 "it could not be otherwise than that the 

 arrival (in June, 1SS3) at the capital of a 

 legation of the United States should create 

 in the mind of the Shah and of the officers 

 of the Persian Government a greater inter- 

 est in America and Americans. The mis- 

 sionaries were in a position to reap the 

 benefits of this interest, and the minister, 

 in the brief period of his residence in Tehe- 

 ran, was able to secure for them, from the 

 Persians, some valuable concessions." 



Outlines op Geology. An Introduction 

 to the Science for Junior Students and 

 General Readers. By James Geikie, 

 LL. D., F. R. S. Illustrated. London: 

 E. Stanford. Pp. 424. 



In this work, as in the " Class-Book of 

 Geology," by Archibald Geikie, noticed else- 

 where in these pages, the plan pursued has 

 been first to thoroughly acquaint the stu- 

 dent with the various agents that effect geo- 

 logical changes, and their modes of action, 

 and only then to pass on to the study of the 

 different geological systems. The first half 

 of the book is given to a careful investiga- 

 tion of the work performed by the different 

 forces of Nature. This is discussed under 

 two heads, viz. : " I. Epigene, or Superficial 

 Action"; and, "II. Hypogene, or Plutonic 

 Action." 



The first of these divisions treats of the 

 action of the atmosphere, of water, and of 

 plants and animals, while the second studies 

 the action of the subterranean forces. 



The work done by terrestrial waters in 

 effecting important changes receives due at- 

 tention ; rain, underground water, brooks 

 and rivers, lakes, each is considered at 

 length. Two chapters are devoted to the 

 geological action of ice ; another to the in- 

 fluence of the sea. 



A review of the part performed by plants 

 and animals in geological changes is fol- 

 lowed by a chapter on the classification of 

 the products of surface-action. 



The second division, given to the con- 

 sideration of subterranean action, embraces 

 the subjects of volcanoes and volcanic prod- 

 ucts ; the mineralogical composition of vit- 

 reous and crystalline igneous rocks ; their 

 penological character ; movements of the 



earth's crust ; the structure of rock-masses ; 

 ore-deposits, etc. 



A chapter on paleontological geology 

 forms the introduction to historical geology. 

 The divisions here made are four in num- 

 ber : the primary or palaeozoic, the second- 

 ary or mesozoic, the tertiary or cainozoic, 

 and the quaternary or post-tertiary. Each 

 of these is studied in turn. Numerous illus- 

 trations are given of the fossils occurring 

 in and characteristic of the different peri- 

 ods. In fact, these illustrations, together 

 with some others, inserted in the first part 

 of the book, constitute one of the great at- 

 tractions of this volume. 



Class-Book of Geology. By Archibald 

 Geikie, LL.-D., F. R. S. Illustrated. Lon- 

 don: Macmillan & Co. Pp.516. Price, 

 $2.60. 



This volume is intended to complete a 

 series of educational works on physical ge- 

 ography and geology, projected by the au- 

 thor a number of years ago. It is a book 

 written by the light of experience gained in 

 practical teaching, and the writer's aim has 

 been to produce a work that should awaken 

 an interest in and love for the science of 

 which it treats, and thus incite to original 

 study and research. 



The book is divided into four parts, and 

 embraces a consideration of the materials for 

 the history of the earth, a study of rocks, and 

 how they tell the history of the earth, an ac- 

 count of the crust of the globe, and a care- 

 ful analysis of the geological record of the 

 history of the earth. 



The influence of the atmosphere in changes 

 affecting the surface of the earth, and the ef- 

 fects produced by water, under various condi- 

 tions, take up the first few chapters. These 

 are followed by an essay on " ice-records " 

 a history of the glacial epoch and then 

 comes an interesting description of how 

 plants and animals inscribe their records 

 in geological history. 



In discussing the more important ele- 

 ments and minerals of the earth's crust, 

 brief reference is made to the mode of 

 occurrence, formation, and properties of 

 each, and the crystalline form and the ori- 

 gin of crystallized minerals are carefully 

 studied. Under the head of " The more 

 important Rocks and Rock Structures" is 



