70 Zoological Societij : — 



De la Beche, and Lyell were its associates, all honestly endeavouring 

 " to seek the proper end of philosophy, by arranging multifarious 

 and seemingly discordant facts into a chain of natural links." (Bake- 

 well.) The speculative geologists had not, at that time, ceased to 

 strongly influence the rising science ; and Prof. Phillips, one among 

 the best of observers, kept the hypothetical aspects of many a well- 

 ordered series of facts fully in view ; and now even, in his manual 

 for beginners, instead of describing the actual composition and state 

 of the material of which he is treating (for instance, the atmosphere, 

 p. 17, &c.), and giving the student useful practical information about 

 it, he rather enters into a disquisition upon what he considers it was 

 ages ago. Thus certain long-cherished hypothetical views as to the 

 original conditions of land, water, and atmosphere are here as un- 

 necessarily presented for the consideration of juvenile students as 

 the "Devonian" question is in Mr. Jukes's little manual. 



In his account of geology, in the * Guide,' Prof. Phillips first 

 treats of the mass of the globe ; 2, the crust of the earth, and its 

 structure ; 3, land and sea ; 4, climate ; 5, the series of life ; 6, lapse 

 of time ; 7, succession of rocks in the crust of the globe, with many 

 useful little tables ; 8, lithology. He does not figure the fossils in 

 this little book, and indeed the woodcuts of manuals are of no use 

 for the identification of species ; but he judiciously illustrates his 

 chapter on lithology, in which all the chief rock-substances and 

 common minerals are clearly and concisely described according to 

 their associations. 



There is no doubt that Professor Phillips's ' Guide ' is fully trust- 

 worthy, being very good, though occasionally rhetorical, and often 

 apt to deal with problems that the philosophy of geology rather 

 dreams of than understands. The author, however, clearly states 

 that he intends this little work to help, first, those inquiring what 

 geologists think probable as well as certain in the history of the 

 globe, and what the facts and reasonings are on which these suppo- 

 sitions and conclusions are based ; and secondly, the more earnest 

 order of inquirers — real students of nature, desirous of adding to 

 the facts, advancing the reasonings, perfecting the conclusions, and 

 taking part in the actual progress of geology. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



Nov. 10, 1863.— E. W. H. Holdsworth, Esq., F.Z.S., in the Chair. 

 Descriptions of Three New Genera of Marine Fishes 



OBTAINED AT MaDEIRA. By JaMES YaTE JoHNSON, CoRR. 



Mem. Z. S. 



Order ACANTHOPTERYGII. 

 Fam. Carangid^, Giinther. 

 DiRETMUs, gen. nov. 

 Body much compressed and elevated, covered with small spinous 



