314 T^h^ Irish Naturalist. 



A NEW HANDBOOK TO THE GEOLOGY OF 



IRELAND. 



Guide to the Collections of Rocks and Fossils belongring: to 

 the Ceologrical Survey of Ireland.— B3 A. McHenry, m.r.i.a., 

 and W. \V. WatTS, m.a., f.g.s. (Dublin : for H. M. Stationery Office ; 

 A. Thorn & Co. Price 9^/.) 



In the hands of those special investigators who are now replacing or 

 assisting the omniscient but old-fashioned curators of museums, guide- 

 books to collections are assuming the importance of scientific treatises. 

 Her Majesty's Stationery Office has just issued, under the above title, a 

 work of reference which will be welcome to all geologists in our islands. 

 The late Dr. V. Ball, in his preface to this guide, clearly indicates his 

 desire to provide better accommodation for the collections ; but the series 

 of rocks and fossils now displayed in the Science and Art Museum in 

 Dublin is already a boon to students, as well as a public recognition of 

 the work of the Geological Survey, Sir Archibald Geikie gives us an 

 account of the origin of these collections. They were for some time 

 under the care of that keen field-observer, Mr. McHenry, who has him- 

 self, during his official labours, added a large number of the specimens. 

 Mr. \V. W. Watts, during his brief residence in Dublin as a member of 

 the Staff of the Surve}-, gave almost his whole attention to the petro- 

 graphic portion of this guide, which he has finally edited from his new 

 post in London. The remarkable manner in which the work has been 

 made to keep pace with recent observation (see p. 29, for instance) is a 

 testimony to his constant care. 



The rocks are grouped under the four geographical provinces of 

 Ireland, a plan which will be found convenient for reference in the 

 Museum. In 80 pages we have a concise description of the floor of 

 Ireland, a guide, in fact, to its geology, illustrated by the specimens in 

 the Museum, which are referred to constantly by their numbers. The 

 superiority of this method over that of the systematic catalogue drawn 

 up by the mere curator will be at once apparent. Messrs. McHenry and 

 Watts have produced a readable work, the details of which are largely 

 based on original observations made in the course of survey-work. We 

 w*ish that still more frequent references could have been given to the 

 papers by other authors which have been utilised, as this would only 

 serve to emphasise the enormous amount of new descriptive matter that 

 is due to the writers of the guide. 



We have nothing here to do with the unfortunately dark conditions 

 under which the photographic illustrations and many of the specimens 

 have to be displayed in the museum. The study of them has now been 

 admirably facilitated by the guide; but why was not the concluding 

 "Index to Places " arranged alphabetically according to the localities, 

 like that in Roseubusch's " Mikroskopische Physiographic," instead of 

 in the order of the numbers on the specimens.? A visitor from the 

 country can find without difficulty the rocks of his own county ; but, if 



