Reviews — La Face de la Terre. 129 



this work should be called rather an edition. It is true that the text 

 follows as closely as the idioms of the two languages allow the wording 

 of the original German, but it is enriched by such a mass of new 

 references and notes, by so many new figures and maps, that it is almost 

 a new book: in fact, Suess brought up to date. The index volume 

 alone is a large work in itself, and it contains some very useful tables 

 arranged to facilitate the finding of maps and figures referring to 

 particular subjects and areas: these alone occupy 75 pages. 



It is unnecessary at this time to review the book in the ordinary 

 sense of the word, but it is perhaps permissible to make a few remarks 

 on certain special points that suggest themselves on reading it. In 

 the first place it is pleasing to find that the French editors have in 

 some cases corrected injustices with regard to the assignment of 

 ideas to their true authors : for example, it has been the fashion in 

 German and other foreign petrological literature to attribute the 

 conception of Atlantic and Pacific suites of rocks to Becke, whose 

 work was published in 1902. An additional note on p. 1542 of this 

 volume states that the idea, though foreshadowed by Iddings in 1892, 

 was formulated clearly for the first time by Harker in 1896, six years 

 before Becke wrote. Although probably unintentional on the part of 

 Suess, this sort of thing is sadly too common in German scientific 

 writings, and such statements are often copied without verification in 

 other countries. 



As is probably well known to most people, this part of the book 

 contains a summary of the result of the author's lifelong work, and 

 some of the conclusions here set forth differ somewhat from those 

 reached in the earlier volumes. Such a study as this, extending 

 over so many years, was naturally evolutionary, illustrating the 

 development of the author's views as knowledge increased. Of special 

 interest is the importance attached in the chapter entitled " Les 

 Prof ondeurs " to the nature of the earth's interior and the genesis of 

 the igneous rocks. The use of the rather barbarous manufactured 

 terms like Crofesima and Nife is significant of the trend of modern 

 petrological thought in the way of recognizing the desirability of 

 studying the genesis of the metallic ores as well as of the silicates ; 

 the study of the sulphides is now becoming an important part of 

 theoretical petrology, and in this way the work of Vogt, carried out 

 nearly thirty years ago, is bearing good fruit. 



The epilogue, by M. Pierre Termier, of the Academie des Sciences, 

 partakes rather of the nature of a panegyric of Eduard Suess, and 

 shows clearly the veneration of the French school for the great 

 Austrian geologist, in spite of all the events of the last few years. 

 It brings into strong relief the influence of his work on Bertrand and 

 others, work which has largely substantiated and amplified the ideas 

 of the master. The labours of the French editors have carried on 

 this tradition, and there can be no doubt that geologists who wish to 

 gain an insight into the structure of the earth will turn to this 

 rather than to the original German or to the English translation as 

 an exposition of the state of knowledge on this subject at the present 

 time. B. H. B. 



DECADE VI. — VOL. VI. — NO. III. 9 



