I903- Coi,K. — Recent Irish Geology. 5 



province of the lyimerick Naturalists' Field Club. Among 

 the beautiful plates, one of the most striking is that of Dr. 

 Foord's genus and species, Acanthonaiitihis bispi?ios2is, a stout 

 and coiled nautiloid, with a long flat hollow spine projecting 

 on each side from the rim of the umbilicus. It was originally- 

 discussed in the Geological Magazine for 1897 (pp. 147 and 287) ; 

 this volume is, by-the-by, according to the antiquated 

 enumeration adopted by the Magazine, Decade iv., volume iv., 

 and not volume ix. as quoted by Dr. Foord. The unique 

 specimen figured has, like many of Dr. Foord's types, been 

 secured for the Museum of Science and Art, Dublin. 



On p. 132 we reach the Ammonoidea, and here, in the 

 fascinating Goniatite series. Dr. Foord's work will be of 

 especial service. In che later plates, we miss the singularly 

 delicate touch of Mr. T. A. Brock, who was responsible for so 

 many in the previous part. Dr. Foord, however, has careful!}'' 

 directed the draughtsman in all cases, and has himself con- 

 tributed some of the original drawings. It is to be regretted 

 that the Carboniferous horizons are so little traced in Ireland 

 that the genealogical aspect of the numerous genera and 

 species must be left to future waiters. In many cases we are 

 left to infer even the series in which the specimens occur from 

 reading the lists of localities at the end of the descriptions. 

 This is a little unkind to foreign students ; and we sometimes 

 wonder whether Dr. Foord does not use the term ** Carboni- 

 ferous " in his inmost heart as synonymous with the lower 

 member of the system, the Carboniferous Irimestone. This 

 is, at any rate, what most of us do when confronted with 

 Carboniferous moUusca ; and we forget the increasing 

 palaeontological importance of the zones above the Upper 

 Limestone. We cannot be too grateful for patient and 

 persistent work on our little known Irish fossils, such as that 

 undertaken voluntarily by Dr. A. H. Foord. 



IRISH GOI.D. 



Mr. E. St. J. I^yburn, a.r.c.sc.i., calls attention to the real 

 need for .systematic prospecting in Co. Wicklow {Sci. Proc. R. 

 Dubli?i Society, vol. ix., September, 1901, p. 426), and gives 

 the results of no assays of Iri.sh rocks. The most important 

 of these is a ferruginous quartz-vein from the Gold Mines 



