3 o SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



ciously letting it alone ; modern chemistry had but just 

 sprung into being under the influence of Robert Boyle, and 

 Newton's Principia had not yet enlightened the world. 



The History of Oxfordshire is a very interesting work, 

 full of queer old-world information, quaint digressions and 

 pleasant meanderings, winding gently on each side of the 

 main current of discourse It contains a map of Oxford- 

 shire curiously bordered round with the arms of the resident 

 nobility and gentry, and each of its excellent plates of illus- 

 trations bears a dedication in the corner to some noble 

 patron, with the emblazonment of his arms. 



Dr. Plot was evidently acquainted with the views of 

 Steno, but he did not share them ; on the contrary, he met 

 them with a strenuous opposition, in which he displayed 

 great resources of learning and dialectic skill. A whole 

 chapter of the History is devoted to the description of the 

 fossils or, as they are there termed, the "Formed Stones" 

 of the county. It is illustrated by engravings which, for 

 truthfulness, leave little to be desired, so that, even at this 

 distance of time, there is little difficulty in recognising and 

 identifying the different genera or even species that they 

 represent. 



The stones to which Dr. Plot first directs attention are 

 those that stand in some connection with the heavenly 

 bodies, such as the Sun-stone, of which, however, there are 

 none in Oxfordshire ; the Moon-stone or Selenites ; the 

 Asteriae or Star-stones, which are evidently the joints of the 

 stem of a fossil, now called Extracrinus briareus ; the Astro- 

 ites, bodies of irregular form, but adorned with constella- 

 tions of stars ; these are clearly corals, such as are now 

 named Isastrea and Thamnastrea ; and finally such stones 

 as are supposed " by the vulgar at least " to be "generated 

 in the Clouds and discharged thence in the times of Thunder 

 and violen Showers'" ; such are Belemnites, and Brontise and 

 Ombrise : in the two latter we now recognise several kinds of 

 Sea-urchins. The author then passes to " The Stones that 

 concern the Watery Kingdom "; some of these are spars or 

 minerals ; others are true fossils such as a " Strombites," 

 which is compared to the living " Concha Tridacna," so 



