6o Revieivs and Book Notices. 



It must not be forgotten that the ' Flora of the East Ridhig ' 



represents a large portion of the busy life of an enthusiastic 



field-botanist. As such it is worthy of all respect, and to the 



local botanist should form a stepping-stone to higher things. 



Its shortcomings are due to recent great advances in regard to 



plant-distribution ; an advance which we are proud to think 



that * North Yorkshire ' did much to bring about, and which we 



regret to see has been but poorly followed up in recentlv- 



published Floras. W. G. S. 



^^^ 



The December Halifax Naturalist is an exceptionally interesting- number 

 and contains several notes on the natural history o^ the district, also an 

 instalment i>'i the 'Flora of Halifax.' A paper by Mr. C. E. Moss, B.Sc, 

 on the ' Moors of South-west Yorkshire' is a valuable contribution to our 

 knowledg^e of the vej^etation of these interesting- tracts ; it is illustrated by 

 very sug-g'estive diagrams showing the dominant types of vegetation. In 

 the same number is a list of the 'Vertebrates of the District,' by Mr. H. 

 Pickles ; this includes 14 mammals, 2 reptiles, 4 amphibians, and 14 hshes. 



A most important ' Contribution to the Freshwater Algs of the Xorth 

 of Ireland' has just been made by a past President 'of the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists' Union, Mr. W. West, and his son, Prof. G. S. West ('Trans- 

 actions Royal Irish Academy,' Vol. 32, Section B, Part I., August 1902, 

 plates). This magnificent Avork includes particulars of over a hundred 

 species new to Ireland, over a dozen of which are new to science, and 

 described for the first time. That little attention appears to have been paid 

 to the algjE flora of Ireland in the past is shown by the fact that not a single 

 record had previously been made for Donegal. 



'The Geology of the Great Whin Sill, an Analysis of the Theory of 

 Intrusion,' is the title of a pamphlet of 89 pages, just issued by Mr. John 

 Lee, A. R.C.A., Darlington. The writer takes for his text a statement 

 made by Teall : — 'It is now admitted on all hands to be intrusive,' but 

 apparently does quite agree with the 'intrusive ' character of the Whin Sill. 

 He states (p. 88), ' All the thought and ingenuity which its authors have 

 put into its construction is repeated ad infinitum in the one pathetic 

 formula, 'intrusion and contact metamorphism,' in answer to every question 

 that it is possible to put in regard to the Whin Sill.' The pamphlet is 

 illustrated by diagrams, one of which (p. 82) is rather curious. 



In 1891 the late Thos. Hick described to the Linnean Society a new 

 fossil plant found by Mr. W. Cash, at the Cinder Hills, Siddal, near Halifax, 

 to which he gave the provisional name of Tylophvra radiculosa, afterwards 

 altered to Xenophvton radiculosuni. Hick felt some doubt as to its 

 systematic position and preferred to leave the question of its relationship 

 open, although the late Prof. Williamson was of opinion that its affinities 

 were with Stigmaria. By the purchase of the Hick and Cash collections 

 by the Manchester Museum several transverse and longitudinal sections of 

 this fossil came into the possession of that Museum. Prof. F. E. Weiss 

 has recenth" carefully examined these specimens, and is of opinion that 

 the plant was of stigmarian character, and that it can be identified as 

 the 'root' or rhizome of a Lepidophloios, probably L. fuliginosus. Prof. 

 Weiss' views are expressed in detail in ' Notes from the Manchester 

 Museum, No. S' (publication 37). 1902. 19 pp. and 3 plates. 



