REVIEWS. 87 



own inner consciousness : it must have involved almost unlimited use 

 of the writings of geologists at large. What will be the feelings of 

 those who expect that everything should be original when Mr. Harrison 

 acknowledges having consulted more than 4.000 papers, etc. ? In 

 this, clearly, he has taken the proper course, and geologists will allow 

 that he has gathered his harvest of knowledge discreetly. 



With regard to the woodcuts. Old friends are constantly showing 

 their faces, and many a geologist will even recognise his own children ! 

 Here, too, our aiathor seems to have tal^en the wisest course, in 

 ransacking the woi-ks of his brethren for the figures that may best 

 illustrate his descriptions, instead of striving for novelty, which is not 

 needed in a work of this kind. The selection of these figures has been 

 carefully made, and their repi'oduction admirably carried out. 



I have left fault-finding to the last ; it is so pleasant to have a 

 I>arting-fling at an author I The first sixteen pages of the book ai'e 

 without paging, though the index (which might, perhaps, come better 

 at the end) can hardly have been so small a matter as to count for 

 nought ; but this is Mr. Harrison's look out. If he choose to make as 

 little as possible of his work, one must admire his modesty. Again, 

 with the proverbial perversity of human nature, he has not made his 

 work of the same size, nor its binding of the same colour, as the kindred 

 works of Ramsay and Woodward, alongside of which it should be 

 found on the shelves of English geologists. At present we have to sand- 

 wich his more slender brown book between the two stouter green ones. 

 Let us hope that whilst the latter iriay grow taller in new editions, the 

 former may speedily fatten and become verdant. W. W. 



The Flora of the Clciit <ind Lichei/ Hillx and Xeifiliboiiriiifi Part.t of thf 

 Couitti/ of JVorcf.itiT. By William Mathews, M..\. Stourbridge : 

 Mark and Moody. 



This is a second and enlarged edition of a well-known little book, 

 originally prepared in ISfiS. It would be superfluous for our local 

 readers to be told that it is a book well and carefully done, and 

 thoroughly to be relied on. It would be impossible for Mr. Mathews 

 to write a book of a different character. We can cordit^lly recommend 

 it to all who are interested in the district. E. W. B. 



Report of tin' Eupbij School Xutitral Hiatonj Society for the Year 1S80. 



A. J. Lawuence, Rugby, 1881 ; 64 pp. and six plates. 

 Rugby has long been distinguished among our great public schools for 

 the able and practical teach i7ig of science. Its masters have always 

 included science teachers of ability, who have been able to com- 

 municate to many (jf the l)oys the enthusiasm with which they were 

 themselves inspired. The present report contains some capital 

 papers by various members of the school, among which we note 

 those on the " Carbouiferims Limestone of Denbighshire," by E. H. 

 Acton, and on " Bells," by H. J. Elsee. The report of the geological 

 section includes a valuable list of Rugliy fossils, showing their zones 

 and localities. Among these, however, it has surprised us to see that 

 Avicula iiucquivalvis (young) and Cardium triiiicatuiit. have been 

 obtained from the Rhaetic beds. The report of the Temple Obser- 

 vatoiy by that able astronomer, Mr. Seabi-oke, is given as usual in the 

 appendix. \V. .J. I[. 



