496 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



the original records. However admirable it may be to encourage students 

 to consult the original papers wherever possible, it is generally inadvisable, in 

 the earlier stages at least, to have these as the sole source of information, and 

 hence there is always room for a textbook such as this. 



The first chapter of the book gives a brief account of the physical features 

 of the country, and is unsatisfactory on one account — namely, that it assumes 

 a knowledge of all the technical terms used, and hence is only suitable for those 

 who have already had a good grounding in the subject. The next twenty- 

 three chapters are concerned with the stratigraphy of the country, which is 

 treated in considerable detail. A criticism similar to that mentioned above 

 applies to this part also, especially in the sections dealing with the Archaean 

 rocks. Many detailed petrological descriptions of the rocks are given, often 

 in highly technical language, and very little attempt is made even to define 

 the names of the types peculiar to India. 



Another peculiar feature is the great absence of specific names in the 

 palaeontological lists. Where so many genera persist from one period to 

 another, it is essential that the species peculiar to each period be indicated ; 

 otherwise the lists of fossils are useless. Thus, of the hundred or so genera 

 given as characteristic of the Cretaceous of the Peninsula, only two species 

 are named. 



Some of the stratigraphical correlations are decidedly bold, but this is 

 probably due to the desire to give the student a lead in those cases where the 

 published evidence is still controversial. It is somewhat unfortunate that 

 this plan was not followed throughout, as in some cases two or three theories 

 are very briefly stated, and, without further particulars, it is impossible to 

 discriminate between them. 



The stratigraphical part is followed by a chapter on physiography, which 

 includes a repetition of much of the first chapter, and another on economic 

 geology, while finally there is an appendix on the geology of Kashmir. Re- 

 ferences to literature are given at the end of each chapter, but unfortunately 

 no uniform system of contractions for the names of journals is used. 



The plates are well reproduced and have been admirably chosen to illus- 

 trate the structures, but the figures in the text are very deficient so far as the 

 legend is concerned. For example, the figure on p. 69 is unintelligible without 

 further explanation. The book is well written, and the descriptions on the 

 whole are clear. There are, however, a number of misprints — e.g. on pp. 67, 

 143, 165, 198, 261, 324, and 353 — which might have been noticed. 



A. S. 



The Natural Wealth of Britain: Its Origin and Exploitation. By J. S. 



DuBY. [Pp. x -f 319, with 130 illustrations.] (London : Hodder & 

 Stoughton, 1919. Price 6s. net.) 



In this book, which forms one of a series intended for the upper forms in 

 schools, the aim of the author is to give an account, in simple and non- 

 technical language, of the geology of Great Britain, and to indicate the re- 

 lationship between the geological structure and the industrial development of' 

 the countr3^ The first part of the book forms an introduction to general 

 geology, and is mainly concerned with such subjects as the origin of sedimen- 

 tary and other rocks, the relationship and succession of such rocks, the use of 

 geological maps and so forth. The second part deals generally with the dis- 

 tribution of the various industries, while in the third, certain districts, es- 

 pecially the coal-fields, are discussed in greater detail. 



A book on these lines should, from the educational point of view, be of 

 general use, but it must be stated that the volume under review by no means 

 fulfils the expectations raised by the preface. The book is marred throughout 

 by looseness of diction and numerous inaccuracies, which are all the more 



