tcpi. Reviews. 207 



to the appropriateness between them. Six of the articles clearly do. Those 

 on " The Topography and Geology of Ireland," and on " Irish Minerals 

 and Building Stones," by Prof. Cole, F.G.S. ; on •« The Soils of Ireland" 

 and "The Climate of Ireland," by Mr. J. R. Kilroe; "The Flora of 

 Ireland," by Dr. Johnson ; and " The Animals of Ireland," by Mr. G. H. 

 Carpenter. 



In addition to these, the articles on " The Dublin Museum of Science 

 and Art," by Col. Plunkett; on "The Ponies of Connemara," by Dr. 

 Kwart, F.R.S. ; on " The Irish Cattle Industry," by Mr. Robert Bruce; 

 and on "The Sea Fisheries of Ireland" and "Inland Fisheries," by Mr. 

 W. S. Green; and the unsigned articles on "The National library," 

 "The Irish Horse-breeding Industry" and "Sheep-breeding in Ire- 

 land," are of great general interest to all who have the scientific, the 

 economic, or even the general interest of the country before their 

 eyes. The residue of the handbook relates to subjects which are too far 

 apart from these ordinarily dealt with by the Irish Naturalist to be ex- 

 pressly reviewed in it. 



To deal now with the six papers which come directly into the field of 

 the Irish Naturalist, the first paper of Prof. Cole's — to which the second is 

 in substance an appendix — in addition to being a very clear and in- 

 teresting summary of the views now held of the early geological history 

 of Ireland, is by its eloquence a worthy proem to the whole book of which 

 it is the first paper. Those who read it as it should be read, can hardly fail 

 to form a desire to see with their own eyes the scenes therein so vividly 

 described. 



To them, also, will appear the vast importance of noting, as indices of 

 whether or not there were local conditions which would allow of such 

 deposit being formed, in the North of Ireland — as in Scotland — the 

 Lower Carboniferous, with beds of coal, as at Ballycastle, resting 

 directly on much older schistose rocks ; and, perhaps, most remarkable 

 of all, the gap in the Devonian series which led Prof. J. Beete-Jukes 

 to divide the series into two groups. Or, on the other hand, as in 

 the case of the later Carboniferous strata in L,einster and Munster, which 

 show conditions proving the gradual removal of a great load of Coal- 

 measures and lower Carboniferous grits, which once lay over the Carbon- 

 iferous limestone, and has, except in bits, now disappeared. 



Mr. Kilroe's two papers on the soils and on the climate of Ireland, 

 which immediately follow those of Prof. Cole, give a clear, succinct, and 

 intelligent account of the subjects dealt with, as might be expected 

 from the scientific position of the author. 



Dr. Johnson's paper, which comes next, is of great interest, from the 

 valuable bibliography of Irish botany which it contains, and which will 

 give the intending visitor — no matter what branch of botany he may seek 

 to pursue — the fullest means of knowing where to find the guide for his 

 work. The last sentence of this paper is but too sadly true ; — " It must 

 be a matter of surprise that so much excellent work has been done, when 

 it is remembered that botany has hitherto received no encouragement 

 either in the Elementary Schools or in the Boys' Secondary (or Inter- 



