Reviews — H. P. Woodward — Mining Handbook of W. Australia. 81 



J. D. Dana, but for this slip, would probably have classed " pliyllite " 

 as a common chloritoid, instead of with the manganiferous ottrelite. 

 Lacroix, in 1886, urged the practical identity of ottrelite and 

 chloritoid, and these names appear as synonyms in Levy and 

 Lacroix, " Mineraux des Roches," p. 171. Descloizeaux and Damour, 

 however (Ann. des Mines, 1842, tome ii, p. 359) found over 8 per 

 cent, of manganous oxide in the ottrelite of Ottrez, and recorded no 

 magnesia. Hintze, in his " Mineralogie," quotes no analyses of 

 chloritoid with more than 1-30 per cent, of MnO, few containing this 

 oxide at all. Hence 1 fancy that the name ottrelite will be worth 

 keeping for chloritoids with more than 5 per cent, of manganous 

 oxide and little or no magnesia. This would exclude some substances 

 that have recently been styled ottrelite, and would necessitate 

 a modification in the treatment of that mineral in my "Aids in 

 Practical Geology" (second edition, p. 157), where 1 have regarded 

 it as synonymous with chloritoid proper and have made no mention 

 of the distiuctive manganese. 



IR, IE "V I IE W S. 



I. — Mining Handbook to the Colony of Western Australia, 



WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR PROSPECTORS. By HaRRY P. WOOD- 



ward, J. P., F.G.S., F.K.G.S., F.I.Inst., Government Geologist. 1 

 Second edition. Perth, Western Australia, 1895. 



THE value of mining handbooks to the pioneers engaged in 

 opening up the mineral resources of a new country has long 

 been recognized. Much depends on the industry and skill of these 

 men, and all possible help should be given to them, as they do work 

 which would be none too easy to a trained geologist, armed with all 

 the resources afforded by a chemical laboratory and a technical library. 

 Whether it is to be deplored or not, it is certainly true that pioneers 

 have usually more courage and energy than scientific attainments, 

 and a really satisfactory handbook is therefore of paramount im- 

 portance to them. It must be comprehensive, concise, and easily 

 intelligible to ordinary readers ; no technical or scientific knowledge 

 on the part of its readers must be taken for granted, and, on the 

 other hand, useless information must be rigidly excluded. The 

 volume under review is an excellent example of the best type of 

 such books. It is brief, yet clear; full of details, yet interesting; 

 accurate, but not defaced by a multitude of technical terms. 



It begins with a slight sketch of the colony, giving some account 

 of the towns, population, climate, water supply, timber, etc. The 

 intending immigrant would perhaps like to hear more about the 

 climate, especially as to the daily and monthly range of temperature 

 in different districts, and would possibly be curious respecting insect 

 life, which is not touched on; but generally the information is 

 wonderfully full and varied. The difficulty as to water supply in 

 the interior is insisted on, and Mr. Woodward points out that the 

 numerous lakes shown on the maps must not be relied on to furnish 

 1 See also p. 96 of the present Number Geol. Mag. 



DECADE IV. VOL. III. NO. II. 6 



