MantelVs Geology of the South- East of England. 359 



appears to lose sight of the geological student, in his endea- 

 vours to explain the subject or the argument in the clearest 

 manner. — S. ^ > jl J nii»s t»d I 



Mantell, Gideon, F.R.S. &c, and Fellow of the Royal Col- 

 lege of Surgeons : The Geology of the South-East of 

 England. 8vo, 415 pages, numerous cuts. London, 

 kMMSfox. j@l$qio y/ij ri^uoi-j t it.^n'j jq arua u,i 



The destruction of monsters was the occupation of the 

 demigods and heroes of the fabulous ages : the discovery 

 and restoration of monsters is the occupation of many 

 distinguished naturalists and geologists in the present age. 

 Had our ancestors, a century since, been told that some of 

 their posterity, distinguished for knowledge and talents, could 

 engage most ardently in the pursuit of flying dragons and 

 enormous crocodiles, in different parts of England, and spend 

 no inconsiderable portion of their time in endeavouring to 

 reset and replace their broken bones, the announcement 

 would have been received with incredulity and contempt. 

 Little was it anticipated that our knowledge of the animal 

 kingdom was about to receive such important additions from 

 the discoveries in geology, and that the structure and func- 

 tions of many of the enormous inhabitants of a former world, 

 that had ceased to exist on our planet several thousand years, 

 would become as well known as those of many species of 

 animals existing in the southern hemisphere. Mr. Mantell, 

 the author of the present volume, has been one of the most 

 fortunate of modern discoverers : his scientific labours in this 

 new department of natural history are well known to his own 

 countrymen, and to the savans in France and Germany. 

 His knowledge of comparative anatomy has enabled him to 

 develope the structure of two of the most extraordinary 

 animals, perhaps, that ever inhabited our planet; remarkable 

 not only for their immense size, but for the peculiarities of 

 their external form and internal osteology, differing in many 

 respects from those of any other known species, living or fossil. 

 Mr. Mantell's Illustrations of the Geology of Sussex being 

 out of print, the present volume combines the most interest- 

 ing portions of that and of his other works, with an account 

 of his recent discoveries. The part of England more par- 

 ticularly described by Mr. Mantell comprises the county of 

 Sussex, the south-east part of Kent, and the district called 

 the Weald, extending from the south downs of Sussex to 

 the north downs of Surrey and Kent. Of the geology of 

 this district nothing was correctly known until within the 

 last few years. Messrs. Conybeare and Phillips, when they 



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