Reviews— The Age of Man Geologically Considered. 315 



stranded there by some retreating wave, is even of deeper interest 

 to men than the relics of their own race, for these things tell more 

 directly of the thoughts and creative acts of God." 



Professor Agassiz considers that traces of birds in the Secondary 

 deposits are of doubtful character, and is of the opinion that the 

 remains of the feathered animals found in the Solenhofen Limestone 

 do not belong to a genuine bird, but to one of those synthetic types, 

 in which reptilian structure is combined with certain bird-like 

 features. Many other interesting points of Palaeontology are noticed ; 

 and the author's objections to the development theory, and the facts 

 upon which they are based, are discussed when alluding to the fishes 

 and Cephalopods of the Jurassic and Cretaceous strata, in the chapter 

 on the Geological Middle Age. 



The work would have been rendered still more instructive had 

 the illustrations been either omitted altogether, or been of a some- 

 what better style of execution, and, in some instances, more correctly 

 drawn : thus, at page 177, the Turrilite is represented as a dextral 

 shell, instead of sinistral, which is the general form of that genus 

 of Cephalopods. Still, however, the volume is an acceptable addition 

 to our geological literature, as conveying in a pleasing manner the 

 leading principles of the science. 



III. — The Age of Man GEOLoaicALLX Considered in its Bearings 

 ON THE Truths of the Bible. By the Eev. John Kirk, " Christian 

 News" Office, Glasgow. 18mo. pp. 264, cloth, 2s. 1866. 



TTTE have had our attention directed to the little book whose title 

 VV is given above, by a fly-leaf advertisement reprinted from 

 Professor Kirk's own organ, the "Christian News," of May 26th, 

 and headed " Letter from Sir Chas. Lyell, Bart., to the Eev. Prof. 

 Kirk." (Dated 17th May, 1866.) 



Sir Charles Lyell will probably be as astonished as we were, to see 

 his private letter to Mr. Kirk converted by that enterprising gentle- 

 man into an advertisement, and it will no doubt, as Mr. Kirk naively 

 observes, "tend to promote the perusal of the little volume to which 

 it refers." 



Sir Charles will doubtless (after reading the book) be more 

 cautious, for the futm-e, in sending autograph letters to authors of 

 doubtful scientific books. As this letter is now before the public, 

 we will quote one sentence from it. "I am sorry to say that the 

 works in general published by theologians on geology, although in 

 number, I believe, they have, in the course of the last thirty years, 

 equalled all those written by adepts in the science, show such want 

 of acquaintance with the elements of the subject, that my friends are 

 in the habit of neglecting them entirely ; but no doubt I shall profit 

 by your objections." Led by the same hope, we have care- 

 fully perused Mr. Kirk's book, and can only say, that so far from 

 finding any exception to the above description, we are compelled to 

 include its author in the same class, and are sorry to add that he is 



