316 Reviews—The Geological Record. 
as geographically, of coal, coke, iron ores, firebricks, and clays, and 
miscellaneous minerals, which must form a very useful addition in 
connexion with the industrial resources of the county. 
No. 4. This volume consists of eighty-seven neatly executed plates 
illustrative of the Coal Flora of Pennsylvania, by Prof. Leo 
Lesquereux ; it is simply an atlas with explanations of the figures 
on the plates and some references to previous works, but without 
any detailed descriptions of the species or of their localities. 
No. 5, This is a report on the Permian or Upper Carboniferous 
flora of West Virginia and South-western Pennsylvania, by Profs. 
Fontaine and White, which, besides a detailed description of the 
species illustrated by thirty-eight plates, contains a sketch of the 
geology of the Carboniferous formation of Western Virginia, de- 
scribing, in ascending order, the lithological and other characters uf 
the sub-divisions of the Carboniferous rocks, the Vespertine, Umbral 
shale and Conglomerate groups, the Lower Productive Coal-measures, 
Lower Barren-measures, Upper Productive Coal-measures (contain- 
ing two of the most extensive and persistent Coal-beds of the 
Appalachian Coal-field), and Upper Barren-measures, with notices 
of their respective floras. 
The authors consider, that while the lower six groups belong to 
the Carboniferous, the Upper Barren-measures should be referred to 
the Permian age, from the study of the plants and the evidence 
derived from other sources. 
The flora shows a marked decadence of characteristic Carboniferous 
forms. Of the 107 species found in the Upper Barrens of West 
Virginia, twenty-two occur in the Coal-measures proper, while 
twenty-eight are found also in the Permian of Europe. Some 
appear to be exclusively or at least characteristic forms, as Callipteris 
conferta, Alethopteris gigas, and Odontopteris obtusiloba. Many of 
the Pecopterids and Neuropterids exhibit Permian features, and the 
Sphenopterids differ much from the Carboniferous, and show affinities 
with Mesozoic forms. There is no Lepidodendron, and only one or 
two species of Sigillaria and Calamites. The evidence of important 
physical change at the beginning of the series, their lithological 
character, the disappearance of coal, and the diminution of the 
animal and plant life, further substantiate the Permian age of the beds. 
Should this conclusion be correct, it will have, the authors say, “an 
important bearing on the history of the changes which have affected 
the physical geography of our portion of the North American con- 
tinent. Our great Appalachian Revolution would have occurred at 
the close of the Permian period, and instead of standing almost 
alone, would be in harmony with those mighty changes which else- 
where operated at the close of the Gemniae to extinguish the forms 
of Paleozoic life.” J. M. 
IlJ.—Tur Geronocican Recorp. 
i the early part of the present year we received the fourth 
volume of the Geological Record, being an account of the works 
on Geology, Mineralogy, and Palzeontology, } published during the year 
