THE WORK OF THE PORTUGUESE 

 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



THE geology of the Spanish Peninsula is imperfectly 

 understood; but it is not without a special interest of 

 its own. It is here, if anywhere in Europe, that we should 

 expect to find among the more ancient faunas some indica- 

 tions ot a warmer temperature than prevailed farther north, 

 or of some other difference due to difference of latitude. 

 It is the only part of Southern Europe where there is a really 

 extensive development of the Lower Palaeozoic rocks ; but 

 unfortunately these are still almost unknown. 



Of late years the re-organisation of the geological surveys 

 of Spain and Portugal has led to a great increase in our 

 knowledge of those countries, and the recent appearance of 

 a new part of the Comnmnica(pes da Direc(ao dos Trabalhos 

 geologicos de Portugal affords a good opportunity of recapitu- 

 lating what has been accomplished in that country. 



It is impossible to look at this and the other publications of 

 the Portuguese Survey without a word of praise for the beauty 

 of the plates with which they are illustrated, and the admir- 

 able way in which they are printed. It is a painful reflection 

 to an English geologist that the inimitable work of our own 

 Geological Survey should be presented to the world in a 

 style so far inferior ; and that the enlightened Government 

 of a great empire should in this respect be so far behind 

 that of a small and not very wealthy country like Portugal. 



We may, however, be allowed to express our regret that 

 so few of the memoirs of the Portuguese Survey are 

 accompanied by maps, for without a map it is extremely diffi- 

 cult to follow the text of a stratigraphical paper; and without 

 making a map it is, or should be, almost impossible for the 

 worker himself to be sure that his views are correct. We 

 regret too the long delay in the publication of a new edition 

 of the general geological map of Portugal. Delgado is 

 twenty years old, and although later information is else- 

 where available, it is surely time that the Geological Survey 



