448 REVIEWS OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



damaging the part of the city where the specimen was known to be deposited. 

 The Canon, suspecting the cause of this favor, secreted his treasure in a vault ; 

 but when the city was taken, the French authorities compelled him to surrender 

 his prize, which was conveyed to the Jardin des Plantes, at Paris, where it still 

 remains. Whatever may be thought of the Canon, we cannot but consider that 

 he had a perfect right to this celebrated fossil ; and that he, and not M. 

 Hoffmann, was unfairly treated. Dr. Mantell appears to be of a different 

 opinion. 



Professor Ehrenberg, of microscopic celebrity, computes that the Tripoli of 

 Bitin, in Bohemia, consists almost exclusively of the silicious remains of In- 

 fusoria, of a species so minute, that a cubic inch of stone, weighing 220 grs., 

 contains upwards of 41,000,000 of these skeletons! (p. 300.) The Purbeck 

 Limestone of the Wealden abounds in organic remains ; and the marble is a con- 

 glomerate of small fresh-water Snail-shells (Paludina), &c. " How interesting," 

 exclaims our author (p. 331), " is the reflection, that the beautiful cluster columns, 

 the richest ornaments of Chichester Cathedral, are entirely composed of the shelly 

 coverings of Snails, which lived in the river of a country inhabited by colossal 

 reptiles !" 



The teeth of the Crocodile, as represented at p. 352, consist of several im- 

 bricated cones ; and when the outer tooth wears away, a new one supplies its 

 place. The patriarchs of the race are, therefore, just as well off in this respect 

 as the youngsters. Unfortunately for the majority of our own species, but hap- 

 pily for the individuals ycleped dentists, no such provision exists in Man ! 



The discovery of some bones of the Iguanodon, by our correspondent, Mr. W. 

 H. Bensted, is subsequently detailed. They were found in a stone-quarry be- 

 longing to that gentleman, near Maidstone, and were mistaken by the workmen 

 for petrified wood. 



Dr. Mantell's sketch of the Wealden, that interesting fresh-water deposit 

 lying on marine formations, is masterly ; but we have no room for enlarging upon 

 the subject to any advantage. 



We have now cursorily glanced at a few of the wonders contained in the four 

 first lectures, as published in Vol. I., and shall conclude with a few general ob- 

 servations on the plan of the work. The volumes are liberally illustrated with 

 "neat wood-cuts." The method adopted of furnishing what are technically 

 termed " side-headings" to the paragraphs where a new branch of the subject 

 commences, and of numbering these paragraphs, is excellent ; and we must 

 especially applaud the plan of supplying a glossary of scientific terms at the end 

 of the volume. In short, nothing can be more complete than the editorial " get- 

 ting-up" of the work, the credit of which, we presume, is due to Mr. Bichardson. 



Dr. Mantell has very appropriately termed his work the Wonders of Geology. 



