Notes and Comments. 353 



understand why Professor Bonney has thought fit to thrash a 

 dead horse. Year by year the controversies respecting land- 

 ice versus submergence have grown more feeble, as year by 

 year each champion of submergence has ' gone under.' To-day 

 they are exceedingly few— perhaps two or three ; and Professor 

 Bonney is their arch-priest. In making his ' last stand/ 

 however, he has taken a characteristic advantage. He has 

 " discussed ' the subject from the Chair of the British Associa- 

 tion, which means that his views are published in every paper 

 of importance the world over ; whilst the recognised laws of the 

 Association preclude any discussion thereon taking place at the 

 meeting. 



WANTED : A DISCUSSION. 



We can imagine nothing finer than that the President had 

 allowed his paper to be discussed in Section C. It would have 

 presented a sorry sight when done with. As it was, paper after 

 paper, by different authors, and dealing with various areas, 

 shewed over and over again that there were serious weaknesses 

 in the President's arguments, serious objections to his assump- 

 tions, and, at times, even serious doubts as to his ' facts.' 



MAN AND THE GLACIAL PERIOD. 



Eighteen years ago Professor G. F. Wright published his 

 ' Man and the Glacial Period ' in the well-known International 

 Scientific Series. That work was a particularly clear exposition 

 of the land-ice theory. It was of exceptional value to English 

 geologists from the fact that it contained a lengthy chapter on 

 the ' Glacial Geology of the British Isles,' by Mr. P. F. Kendall. 

 That chapter may be taken as the first concise account of the 

 glacial geology of our island. It came most opportunely ; and 

 was largely instrumental in the formation of that new school of 

 glacial thought which so soon held the field, though all along 

 there had been an increasing number of students who were 

 convinced that there was more upon the earth than could be 

 accounted for by a universal deluge. ' Man and the Glacial 

 Period,' therefore, was not liked by the ' submergers.' 



ICE-WORK, PRESENT AND PAST. 



A few years later, Professor Bonney replied, in a way, by 

 publishing, in the same Series, a volume entitled, ' Ice-work, 

 Present and Past.' In this he professed to ' follow the example 

 of a judg e rather than of an advocate ; that is to sum up the 



1910 Oct. I. 



