562 Notices of Memoirs—Royal Microscopical Society. 
In some parts of the coast, and especially along the southern 
shores, there is a marine Quaternary deposit showing a recent eleva- 
tion of the island. 
Bory de St.-Vincent, Renou, and Velain, are the only authors: 
who have previously described the geology of these islands, and 
their opinions do not coincide. Bory de St.-Vincent spoke of the 
rocks of Galita as trachyte, and speaks of the islands being raised 
by volcanic agencies. Renou, on the other hand, described a grey 
eranite as existing on the island Galita, with melaphyre or diorite 
at the extremities of the island, a large extension of black unfossil- 
iferous calcareous rock which he considered of Jurassic age. Velain 
mentions eruptive rocks, and speaks of trachytes having much 
analogy with the andesites of the equator and the blue porphyries 
of L’Esterol. 
Finding this difference of opinion concerning the crystalline rocks, 
Prof. Issel brought back a large series of specimens, and gave 
them a very careful macroscopical and microscopical examination, 
and also submitted some of them to Prof. Grattarola, who, after 
similar examination, confirmed Prof. Issel’s opinion that it was 
a true granite, and said he had some specimens of Elban granite 
which could with difficulty be distinguished from it. 
Prof. Issel considers that the difference of opinion arrived at by 
experienced geologists is because the granites of Galita sometimes 
assume the aspect of certain quartziferous trachytes, besides perhaps 
there is not an essential difference, and the characters by which 
granites are distinguished from the trachytes depends probably on 
the different age, and the particular condition under which con- 
solidation has taken place. 
This group of islands is really a prolongation of the granitic 
mountains of Sardinia. The schists which had been described as 
Jurassic are thought to be of Silurian age, corresponding to some 
not far off in the north of Africa. A. W. W. 
I].—Journan or tHe Royat Microscoricat Society. Vol. III. 
Nos. 1—5. February to October, 1880. With several Plates. 
Svo. (Williams & Norgate, London and Edinburgh.) 
HIS Journal contains also the Transactions and Proceedings of 
the Society, and a record of current researches relating to 
Invertebrata, Cryptogamia, Microscopy, etc., including Embryology 
and Histology generally, and is edited, under the direction of the 
Publication Committee, by Frank Crisp, LL.B., B.A., F.L.8., one 
of the Secretaries of the Society, assisted by Messrs. A. W. Bennett, 
Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell, and-8. 0. Ridley, Fellows of the Society. 
A special feature of the Journal is the Classified Record, which it 
contains, of the work of British and Foreign observers relating to 
the Invertebrata, Cryptogamia, etc., as appearing in more than 500. 
of the principal Journals and Transactions of this and other 
countries ; notes and abstracts being furnished of the memoirs and 
papers, and arranged systematically. 
