November 13, 1902] 



NA TURE 



becoming obliterated." At Mr. Jeffs's suggestion, a Com- 

 mittee of the British Association was appointed at the 

 Bath meeting, charged with the duty of obtaining geo- 

 logical photographs, which were to be duly preserved, 

 catalogued, dated and described. The Committee com- 

 menced its labours by inviting contributions from all 

 British geologists, and its appeal met with a most 

 generous response. Photographs at once began to flow 

 in, and have continued to do so ever since, so that a 

 vast mass of valuable material is now accumulated in 

 the Museum of Geology, Jermyn Street, which was 

 selected as the home of the collection. 



The usefulness of the collection has now been largely 

 increased by the action of the Committee in resolving to 

 publish a selected number of its best photographs, and 

 geologists are greatly indebted to the secretary of the 

 Committee, Prof. W. W. Watts, for the admirable 

 manner in which he has carried this resolution into 

 effect. The success of his efforts is witnessed by the 

 first issue, now before us. It comprises twenty-two 

 photographs, contained in a neat portfolio case ; each 

 is accompanied; by descriptive letterpress, the date 

 when it was taken and the name of the photographer. 

 The descriptions are terse and to the point, as might 

 be expected when it is added that they are all con- 

 tributed by well-known geologists ; among others, we 

 notice the names of Sir Archibald Geikie, Prof. Bonney, 

 Mr. J. E. Marr and Prof. Watts himself. To show how 

 thoughtfully even smaller matters have been attended to, 

 we may point out that a duplicate copy of the letterpress 

 is provided, printed on one side of the paper only and 

 gummed on the other, so that when mounted each photo- 

 graph may bear its own description secured to it. 

 Further, in addition to the paper prints, which are 

 platinotype and therefore permanent, there is another 



Fig. 1. — Carboniferous Limestone resting unconformably on Ludlow Slates ; 

 Arco Wood Quarry, west side of Ribb'e'dale, about four miles north of 

 Settle, Yorkshire. Photographed by Prof. S. H. Reynolds, 1889. 

 The horizontal beds at the base of the Mountain Limestone here rest 

 unconformably en the upturned and denuded edges of the Ludlow 

 Slates. The latter formed a plane of marine denudation which quickly 

 subsided, causing the absence of mechanical sediments. The district 

 furnishes evidence that many thousands of feet of Lower Palaeozoic 

 rock were denuded before the deposition of the Carboniferous strata. 

 An inconstant conglomerate, a few feet in thickness, with pebbles of 

 Lower Palaeozoic rock in a calcareous matrix, is found in places, but it 

 ' s . a ^ sent 'n the section photographed The Ludlow beds are seen 

 dipping south at a very high angle. A marked bedding-plane is seen 

 at the south (left) end of the photograph (above the initials S.H.R.). 

 The more prominent planes visible in the photograph, traversing the 

 slates, are cleavage planes, inclined to the north at an angle higher 

 than that of the bedding. The straight face of the limestone is due to 

 dominant joints. The cliff, from the base of the quarry to the sky line, 

 is many scores of feet in height. John E. Mark. 



issue in the form of lantern slides, which should prove of 

 great value in the lecture room. 



Where all are excellent it is difficult to choose, and the 

 accompanying photographs, which, with the kind permis- 



NO. 1724, VOL. 67] 



sion of their photographers, we select for reproduction 

 on a reduced scale, are no better or worse than the 

 remainder of the series. 



The issue is the first of three, the second of which 

 may be expected to appear before the end of the current 



Fig. 2.— Widened joints (" grikes ") and rain-gullies in Carboniferous Lime- 

 stone ; Hampsfell, near Grange, Lancashire. Photographed by Mr. 

 Godfrey Bingley. The top of Hampsfell, near Grange, presents a weird 

 and desolate aspect. There is no soil, the surface being barren lime- 

 stone, whereupon but a few stunted bushes contrive to grow. Chemical 

 denudation is at work, every joint and small crack in the limestone is 

 widened, and its edges smoothed otT by the solvent action of "carbon- 

 ated water." The limestone is so pure that little argillaceous matter is 

 left, after solution, to support vegetation, so that instead of the usual 

 soil and grass-covered surface we have an arid corrugated waste, 

 more resembling in appearance the " frozen fury " of a cooled lava-flow 

 than the gentle undulating outlines we are accustomed to associate with 

 weathered surfaces of stratilied rocks in these islands. A. S. Reid. 



year. The price of these photographs is so small that they 

 are sure to be much used in museums, colleges and 

 schools for teaching purposes. The subscription list is 

 nominally closed, but we understand that subscribers 

 will still be admitted on the original terms until the end 

 of November. 



In congratulating the Committee of the British Asso- 

 ciation and its secretary on this admirable piece of work, 

 the hope may be expressed that now the way has been 

 shown, foreign societies, if they have not already done 

 so, may follow suit ; the subject is one that might well 

 be brought before the notice of the International Geo- 

 logical Congress at its meeting next year in Vienna. 



THE CRUISE OF THE "GAUSS" FROM CAPE 

 TOWN TO KERGUELEN. 



P HE second part of the joint publication of the Berlin 

 *- Institutes for Oceanography and Geography con- 

 tains the official report of the work of the German 

 Antarctic expedition on board the Gauss on its outward 

 voyage from Cape Town to Kerguelen. The stay in Cape 

 Town was prolonged in order to caulk the ship, which was 

 leaking considerably though not to a dangerous degree, 

 and to make certain changes in the gear and fittings 

 which experience showed to be desirable. Six members 

 of the crew were landed at their own request or as 

 undesirables, and substitutes for them had to be found, 

 and at the last moment two Norwegian volunteers were 

 also taken on board. Prof. Drygalski acknowledges very 

 warmly the hearty reception given him by the authorities 

 at the Cape, which culminated in a military band playing 

 German airs at the pierhead as the Gauss took her 

 departure on November 27, 1901. 



A course was set for Kerguelen, and the scientific work 

 en route was reduced so as not to cause undue delay ; 

 still, the opportunity was taken to make thirteen deep-sea 



