Bibliograpliical Notice. 401 



undistinguishable from the European N. Bouchardianics ; but for the 

 rest the species might almost as well be Tertiary as Cretaceous. The 

 same statement will apply to the corals, nine species of which are 

 described, Dr. Duncan stating that their facies is rather Eocene than 

 Cretaceous. There are, however, three species of Caryojohyllia, a 

 genus which is numerously represented in the Lower Cretaceous 

 beds of Southern India ; but the species are all distinct. On the 

 whole it would appear that these olive shales must be reckoned as 

 belonging to the Cretaceous series by their stratigraphical position, 

 whilst their fossils would indicate a state of transition towards the 

 succeeding Tertiary conditions. 



With the next series, the Panikot group, there is no longer any 

 doubt. Out of 50 species, many of them of great beauty, here 

 described, 7 are identified with forms occurring in South -European 

 Eocene deposits, whilst 5 others find near allies in the same beds ; 

 and the whole series is referred by the author to the Nummulitic 

 formation. Of the 16 species obtained from the overlying Khirthar 

 group, 3 are identical with, and 3 closely allied to, European Numrau- 

 litic forms ; these are regarded by Dr. Duncan as Upper Nummulitie. 

 The Oligocene is represented by the Nari beds, in which 5 out of 

 20 species are identical with European Nurnmulitic and Oligocene 

 forms ; whilst the Gaj series, with 41 species, forming the highest 

 member of the Tertiary group, is regarded as Miocene, from the 

 recent facies of the corais, and the absence from among them of any 

 actually existing species. It is curious that among these many 

 of the species represent West-Indian forms, and also that here 

 alone, as already stated, modified reef conditions appear to have 

 prevailed. It is also remarkable that these successive faunas are 

 exceedingly distinct, scarcely any of the species extending through 

 more than one series. 



The Alcyonaria described, which are not numerous, are all from 

 the Gaj, or highest group. Their remains consist exclusively of the 

 calcareous joints of the polypidom of several species of the genus 

 Jsis, one of them a species apparently of gigantic size, which 

 Dr. Duncan names in honour of Prof. Dana. 



We have done little more than indicate the general nature of the 

 contents of this excellent treatise, which we believe is the first of a 

 series to be carried out (in part, at least) by the same hand. The 

 great interest attaching to these Sind fossils arises from the circum- 

 stance that we have evidently in that country a series of rocks 

 representing conditions more or less intermediate between those 

 under which the deposits that we usually appeal to in our 

 classifications were laid down, and therefore here, as in the Western 

 Territories of North America, we may expect to find the materials 

 for hitherto unwritten chapters in geological history. We can only 

 wish that all the materials obtained may be as carefully and con- 

 scientiously worked out as these Sind corals have been by Prof. 

 Duncan. 



Before taking leave of the book, we may, however, say a few words 

 about the plates, 28 in number, with which it is illustrated. These 



