Bibliographical Notices. 1 79 



laad and sea, faunas and floras, however much they shifted from 

 age to age — as the scenes of a theatre, or the pictures of a magic- 

 lantern, change under the skilful guidance of the manager, to illus- 

 trate the various turns of a story or a whole series of historic 

 events. 



Woodward's ' Geology of England and Wales ' is another good 

 book epitomizing geological history — but in this case by referring 

 mainly to facts relating to inorganic nature, such as the various 

 successive strata in their order, and not as to the extent and con- 

 ditions of their areas of formation, and referring to fossils only as 

 the distinctive coinage of each period, preserved in the strata, and 

 not as directly suggestive of the animated features of the faunse 

 and florae once occupying the long-since wasted regions. 



After a lucid Introduction, treating of the meaning, objects, and 

 methods of Geology, the author proceeds to describe each formation 

 in detail, as to its topography, lithological characters, thickness, 

 leading fossils, and economic productions. The Malvern gneiss and 

 some other very old rocks of doubtful age serve as the basis of the 

 Laurentian section ; and the other formations follow in order, from 

 the Cambrian (treated in the Sedgwickian sense) to the Quaternary 

 gravels and brick-earths. The Igneous and Metaraorphic rocks 

 and Mineral Veins are separately noticed (Chapter XII,). Springs, 

 Swallow-holes, Tufa, Caverns, Landslips, Blown Sands, Submarine 

 Forests, Peat, Soils, and " Grey Wethers " are aU briefly considered. 

 Denudation and Scenery, and the Sections exposed by the chief 

 Eailways, are also treated of in Chapter XIII., well worthy of 

 study. Chapter XIY., on " Geology in the Field " and other mat- 

 ters, should be read in connexion with the Introduction (p, 1), 



Mr. Woodward's work is careful and conscientious ; and he shows 

 a healthy desire to refer directly to originators of theories and dis- 

 coverers of facts; though sometimes a ready reference to the 

 writings of his colleagues in the Memoirs of the Geological 

 Survey has hindered his doing justice to more original notices — for 

 instance, in the case of Swallow-holes in the Chalk, at p. 346, and 

 the " Grey Wethers " at p. 364. Conciseness has been successfully 

 aimed at ; and yet the amateur, student, and professor will each for 

 himself find a rich mine of facts and inferences in the short chap- 

 ters of this compendious and well-conditioned book. A glossary of 

 geological terms, a synopsis of the animal kingdom, having especial 

 reference to fossil forms, bibliographical lists, and an excellent 

 index satisfactorily complete the work. 



In conclusion, we heartily recommend these works by Mr. Oswald 

 Heer and Mr. Horace Woodward to geologists wishing to find the 

 position and nature of the strata and the natural history and 

 geography of the times of their formation. There are many points 

 of geological detail, perhaps in every chapter of each book, that are 

 not yet quite settled, or that at least may be further elucidated with 

 advantage ; there are omissions too, which the author's line of 

 thought, or the plan of his work, or want of space, did not allow of 



