June 29, 191 ij 



NATURE 



i^7 



been a widespread belief that the Moine gneiss is 

 the metamorphosed eastern representative of the Tor- 

 ridon sandstone, a view supported by the high autho- 

 rity of Dr. Peach. The memoir does not accept that 

 view, and leaves the decision somewhat uncertain. 

 The Moine series is described on the map as of un- 

 certain age, but it is placed below the Torridonian, 

 from which it is separated by a series of igneous 

 rocks, and it is placed just above the Lewisian. The 

 guarded statements in the text and the association 

 of the Moines in the explanation of the map with the 

 Lewisians rather than the Torridonians, both suggest 

 that the final conclusion of the Survey inclines 

 strongly to the view that the Moines are pre-Torri- 

 donian. The relations between the Moine and the 

 Lewisian gneisses is another problem on which there 

 is a strong difference of opinion, and the neighbour- 



Oi "The Geology of Edinburgh." This edition is 

 necessarily enlarged, and is now a work of 450 pages 

 with twelve excellent plates, a coloured map of 

 Arthur's Seat, and other illustrations. The new 

 edition contains many important alterations, for its 

 predecessor was issued fifty years ago. The subject 

 of most general interest in this sheet is the ancient 

 volcano of Arthur's Seat. The work of the Survey 

 has confirmed many of the conclusions of Sir A. 

 Geikie, especially his explanation of the basic lavas 

 of Calton Hill as a part of the volcanic platform of 

 Arthur's Seat, which has been faulted westward. 

 Prof. Bonney's separation of the sill of Salisbury 

 Crags, now identified as teschenite, from the other 

 igneous rocks is accepted, and Prof. Judd's theory 

 that the volcanic rocks of Arthur's Seat all belong 

 to one series of eruptions is fully established. The 



Fig. 2.— Typical Dry Valley joining Spotl Burn, above Spott. From "The Geology of Plasc Lothian." 



hood of Glenelg yields important evidence on this 

 question. The subject is carefully discussed in the 

 text, and the conclusion is adopted that the Moines 

 are a younger series, resting unconformably on the 

 Lewisian, the junction being marked in places by 

 a basal conglomerate. 



The problems dealt with in this memoir are of 

 unusual variety, for the area includes a wide band 

 of the Torridonian, the Cambrian limestones with 

 their interesting metamorphic structures south of 

 Broadford in Skye, a varied series of Mesozoic rocks, 

 ranging from the Trias to the Upper Cretaceous, and 

 the eastern part of the famous Cainozoic volcanic 

 series of crntrnl Skye. 



The two oilur memoirs are both new editions, and 

 describe belter known and more accessible areas. 

 The memoir on sheet 32 is issued as a new edition 



NO. 2174, VOL. 86] 



sedimentary rocks have abo undergone great changes ; 

 the Craigmillar sandstones that underlie the volcanic 

 rcx:ks, are transferred to the Old Red Sandstone, a view 

 first suggested by Goodchild, who held that their 

 lithological characters were inconsistent with the 

 climatic conditions that prevailed in the area during 

 Carboniferous times. This argument has now been 

 established by Dr. Traquair's identification of some 

 fossil fish remains which were first found by Dr. 

 Peach. 



The geology of the country to the west of Edin- 

 burgh has undergone even greater changes. When 

 that part of the sheet was mapped in 1850 there was 

 no oil shale mining in the district; the discovery of 

 the West Lothian oil shales ;uul ihr development of 

 the mineral oil industry has .ill happened since the 

 first edition was issued. Tlnn' i^ alsn imuli fn'sh 



