62 NATURAL SCIENCE. Jan., 



personally we think that in abstracting these papers, the compiler 

 gives himself unnecessary trouble. 



We have nou^ done our duty by this book. It only remains for 

 our readers to order copies, and so to give Mr. Blake that pecuniary 

 support without which work of this kind cannot be carried on. If 

 this support is not given, " the only remaining hope," says Mr. Blake, 

 " would be that the Geological Society should undertake a record 

 at their own expense, by the aid of paid recorders." A society so 

 poor that it cannot subscribe ;^ioo per annum for the recording of 

 palaeontological literature, is hardly likely to jump at this suggestion. 

 On the other hand if support is forthcoming, then, says Mr. Blake, 

 the "Annals" might very well be expanded to the "Annals of 

 British and Foreign Geology." 



It may be pointed out that records of geological literature are 

 now published in most European countries and to some extent 

 in America. Why, in the name of common sense, cannot the 

 societies and individuals engaged in carrying on this most valuable 

 work combine their scattered and often wasted energies, and issue a 

 series of annual bibliographies for each country of the world ? Each 

 such bibliography might contain either the papers published in its 

 own country or those about its own country. The former plan would 

 be cheaper, easier, more likely to be complete, and in the end more 

 useful. The labourers are there ; they only want a leader. Verb, 

 sap. sat. 



F. A. Bather. 



The Story of our Planet. By T. G. Bonney, D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S. Medium 

 8vo. Pp. XV., 592, with six plates and 170 illustrations. London : Cassell & Co., 

 1893. Price 31S. 6d. 



This work forms a companion volume to Sir Robert Ball's " Story of 

 the Sun." It is planned, as the author himself states, somewhat on 

 the lines of Lyell's " Principles of Geology," and it seems a pity 

 that so excellent a model is not more closely followed. Professor 

 Bonney divides the book into five sections, entitled : " The Story : 

 i:s Books and their Speech," " The Processes of Sculpture and 

 Moulding," " Changes from Within," " The Story of Past Ages," " On 

 some Theoretical Questions." The first part contains introductory 

 chapters on geology and physical geography, such as can be found in 

 any text-book ; but they do not seem to be carefully welded together, 

 or to form parts of a connected whole. The second part is better 

 done, and the author treats in a thoroughly systematic manner of the 

 changes that take place on the earth's surface. Whenever it speaks 

 of mountains, or of phenomena occurring among mountains, the book 

 becomes interesting, and the illustrations also are better selected. 

 The parts relating to glaciers, for instance, are very good ; though the 

 author would, perhaps, have spoken less confidently as to origin of lake- 

 basins through irregular subsidence if he had seen Mr. A. R. W^allace's 

 paper in the last Fortnightly Review. Leaving out of account theoretical 

 questions, upon which opinions may differ, we have not noticed many 

 serious mistakes or omissions in this part of the book. Fig. 34, fossil 

 rainprints, if it represents anything of the sort, which we doubt, must 

 represent, not the rainprint itself, but a cast of the print seen from 

 below. 



The third part, " Changes from Within," contains accounts of 

 earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, including several important ones 

 that have taken place since the publication of the last edition of 



