278 Reviews — Philip Lakes Physical Geography . 



The book is divided into three parts, dealing respectively with the 

 atmosphere, the ocean, and the land. Of these, the first part (114 pp.) 

 is largely meteorology, which receives much fuller treatment than is 

 usual in a textbook of this class. It is perhaps all to the good, for 

 meteorology is a branch of the subject which has been much neglected 

 in the past, whilst recent advances in our knowledge of the atmo- 

 sphere throw welcome light upon that varying combination of 

 phenomena we call weather, and help us to value rightly the processes 

 of weathering and sculpture of the rocks in different parts of the 

 world. The influence of atmospheric pressure upon the weather is 

 clearly propounded, and the migrations and changes of the belts of 

 pressure, wind, and rain, with the apparent movements of the sun, 

 are well described and illustrated by diagrams. 



The part dealing with the ocean is shorter in length (78 pp.), but 

 quite adequate. A valuable chapter is that upon waves and tides, 

 with a special section devoted to those in British seas. 



Although the third part of the book is the longest (125 pp.), we 

 notice in it signs of great compression, as if the author had been com- 

 pelled to reduce his manuscript to a much smaller compass than he 

 desired. Some sections, therefore, are poor, and the manner of expression 

 not always happy. Thus, in describing faults, reversed faults are 

 omitted, although thrust-planes are mentioned. A better geological 

 section than that of the thrust-plane of the Ardennes and Belgian 

 Coal-field (is this a ' war ' section ?) might have been chosen from the 

 North-West Highlands. 



The differences between local ' volcanic-quakes ' and the great 

 ' earth-shakers ' are not made clear in the description of earthquakes. 



In the chapter on rivers there is again ambiguity, owing to want 

 of clarity of expression, especially in sections dealing with the erosion 

 of a river and grading of the river channel. One of the best 

 chapters in the book is that dealing with the development of river- 

 systems, those of Northumberland, the Humber, and the Weald 

 receiving special notice. 



Under " Snow and Ice " glaciers receive little attention. It should 

 be pointed out that the largest (Antarctic) bergs are composed of 

 snow, and float with considerably more than one-ninth of their bulk 

 above water. 



In the chapter on volcanoes more might have been said about the 

 ancient volcanoes of the British Isles. It seems necessary to 

 emphasize that most of our mountains of volcanic origin are merely 

 carved out of piles of volcanic debris. To many people a cwm, or 

 corrie, in a shapely hill, must be an old volcanic vent. 



An appendix of C.Gr.S. units used by the Meteorological Office in 

 its daily weather report, a list of works of reference, and an index 

 conclude a book that can be thoroughly recommended for the purpose 

 for which it was written. The photographic illustrations are good, 

 but too few in number ; they are, however, supplemented by many 

 well-drawn figures in the jtext, and seven world-maps dealing with 

 pressure, temperature, and rainfall. 



B. S. 



