Bt Reviews—Medlicott’s Southern Himalayan Ranges. 
p- 152 we find an account of some ‘ Post-Sivalik’ beds, and at p. 56 a 
suggestion of there being some ‘ Supra-Krol’ rocks (top of the Hima- 
layan). What the age of these formations may be is not stated in the 
list, though elsewhere we gather that the Sub-Himalayan Series, the 
connection of the groups of which is based ‘on purely lithological and 
structural considerations,’ is of Tertiary age; but as to the Hima- 
layan Series, one’s imagination is left to roam from Tertiary down to 
Laurentian for nearly fifty pages, when we find that it may still roam 
within the same limits, as nothing is known of the age of that series. 
By the way, itis like an Irish bull to give the name ‘Sub-Himalayan’ 
to a set of beds which lie above those called ‘Himalayan ;’ although 
the hills of the former are lower (or under) those of the latter, and 
therefore the name is geographically right. 
At p. 19, there are some very interesting remarks on the connection 
between the disturbed and tilted Sivalik rocks, and the undisturbed 
‘deposits of the plains. The upper beds of the former are of the 
same composition as the latter, which ‘overlap the deunded base of 
the Sivalik hills, just as the Sivalik rocks overlap the denuded base 
of the Nahun hills:’ the relation of the Gangetic to the Sivalik beds, 
Mr. Medlicott thinks, therefore, to be the same as that of the latter 
to the Nahun beds. This connection between past and present con- 
ditions is further marked by the ‘coincidence between the varia- 
tions of the Sivalik deposits and the actual positions of the great 
river-courses, .. . thus proving the great antiquity of even the 
details of the actual configuration; a view which the author was the 
more ready to take from sceing ‘the prodigious results of atmospheric 
denudation in excavating the deep winding valleys through the 
mountains.’ The coarse boulder-beds of Sivalik age have been 
greatly disturbed, ‘often deeply faulted, sharply folded, vertical, and 
even inverted : yet all this has been effected without sensibly affecting 
the details of contour in the adjoining mountain-region.’ 
Having given a general description of the district and its rocks, 
the author goes on to describe the latter in greater detail, beginning 
with the oldest series, but with the newest group of that series, that 
is, in asort of half-descending, half-ascending order. Here, however, 
we need not follow him so closely, as the subject is almost wholly 
Indian, but will pick out those parts that have a wider interest ; 
noting first that there is an ‘almost total absence of fossils in all the 
rocks of the Lower Himalaya,’ and that but one undoubtedly intrusive 
rock, a trap, has been found in the large tract of country described. 
In the way he treats some of the commonest geological terms, Mr. 
Medlicott is again true to his nationality; and after saying that he 
‘must anticipate any ambiguity that might arise from the uncertain 
meaning of some common rock-names,’ he at once throws us into a 
state of utter bewilderment as to the meaning of ‘slate’ and ‘grit.’ 
He objects to ‘slate’ being used only for rocks showing cleavage in 
some perfection, and says that ‘such is not its general use among 
English writers’ (!)—from which remark we must totally disagree. 
Again, he uses ‘grit’ for rocks ‘too fine-grained and earthy to be 
called sandstone, and too rough for a slate,’ and thinks that in so 
