Bibliographical Notices. 429 



generally fall into the hands of some one person who undertakes to 

 work out the whole series. Mr. Goss, in his pamphlet now before 

 us, suggests as another cause for the limited amount of interest 

 shown in fossil insects, that very few geologists are capable of 

 forming opinions upon even the general relationships of such frag- 

 ments of insects as are usually met with in a fossil state. We should 

 be inclined to go even a step further and say that there are very 

 few entomologists, at all events in England, at all qualified by the 

 breadth of their previous studies to undertake with profit this line 

 of investigation. 



Nevertheless, especially in view of the great addition to our 

 knowledge of the insect-fauna of the past which recent researches in 

 America seem to promise, it must be admitted that the study of 

 fossil insects ought to be one of primary importance, particularly 

 with regard to the question of the succession of organisms on the 

 face of the earth. There can be little doubt that, if ever the theory 

 of evolution is to be definitively established or disproved from the 

 study of existing forms of animals, it is to the insects that we shall 

 have to turn our special attention ; and from this point of view the 

 careful study of fossil insects and their comparison with those now 

 living must also be of the highest importance. 



Under these circumstances, we think that English entomologists 

 and geologists have every reason to be grateful to Mr. Goss for 

 having reprinted, in the form of a pamphlet, a series of twelve 

 articles which he has lately contributed to the ' Entomologist's 

 Monthly Magazine.' Without pretending to go very deeply into the 

 subject, Mr. Goss has here given an excellent sketch of the constitu- 

 tion of the successive insect-faunas of the different geological forma- 

 tions, so far as they are at present known. Eor the purposes of the 

 general paleontologist the information here carefully brought 

 together by Mr. Goss will be of great value, and in many cases 

 quite sufficient without any supplementary investigations ; but for 

 the service of those who may wish to carry their study of the 

 subject, or any part of it, somewhat further, the author has care- 

 fully given references to the works from which his details are de- 

 rived ; and these, we believe, embrace, if not the whole, very nearly 

 the whole of the published literature of fossil entomology. Future 

 students will be much indebted to the industry of Mr. Goss for the 

 valuable summary of this literature which he has thus produced. 



Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society. Vol. ii. nos. 4 to 7 

 and 7 «, for June to December 1879. 8vo. Williams and Norgate, 

 London. 



This publication includes the Transactions and Proceedings of the 

 Society, and a vast amount of information relative to Invertebrate 

 and Cryptogamic organisms, and to Embryology, Histology, and 

 Microscopy, as gathered from other publications at home and 

 abroad. The enthusiastic Editor, Frank Crisp, LL.B. &c, has 

 now associated with himself, in the work of translating, compiling, 

 Ann. & Ma//. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. v. 29 



