38 Reviews — W.E. Ford — Danas Mineralogy. 



by a. consideration of tlie problems and metbods of geology, and the 

 attention of the lay reader is at once engaged by the mention of 

 familiar geological phenomena. The author then proceeds to discuss 

 the constitution and age of the earth. He gives a clear idea of the 

 relations in size and distance of various members of the solar system, 

 but, very wisely perhaps, refrains from discussing the origin of our 

 planetary system, commencing his story with the earth as a glowing 

 mass. We then see the origin and nature of the present crust of the 

 earth. The various agencies that have affected its configuration — 

 heat and cold, running water, snow, ice, and the sea — are interestingly 

 considered, and a short chapter is devoted to a very clear account of 

 volcanoes. The occurrence of marine fossils at great heights on the 

 earth's surface, among. other phenomena, is then referred to in proof 

 of the changes that liave taken place in land and sea ; and finally we 

 have a review of the succession of life on the earth. Additional value 

 is given to this work bj^ the inclusion of a well-arranged bibliography. 



V. — Dana's Manual of Minehalogy. Thirteenth Edition, entirely 

 revised and rewritten by "William E. Ford. 12mo; pp. viii, 

 460, with 10 plates. New York, John Wiley and Sons; 

 London, Chapman & Hall, 1912. Price 8s. Gr^. 



rnHE revision of this well-known manual will be very welcome, for 

 J_ although the book has been frequently reprinted it is twenty- 

 five years since the text was revised. The present volume is arranged 

 on the same plan as formerly, but there are some necessary omissions 

 and not a few useful additions. Thus we find that the chapter on 

 petrology has been excluded, but there is a useful account of the 

 occurrence and association of minerals. There is less detail in the 

 descriptive portion of the book, and the catalogue of American 

 localities is omitted — changes that will be quite in keeping with the 

 requirements of the general student. As new features we note the 

 useful list of minerals arranged according to systems of crystallization, 

 and the statistics of mineral production in the United States for 

 1910. The tables for the determination of 203 species are decidedly 

 useful in their new form, and the ten photographic plates make 

 a good addition. The book is well printed, contains 357 text- 

 figures, and has a convenient index ; printers' errors are rare, 

 although we observe a misspelling of ' cryptocrystalline ' on p. 176. 

 We now have several excellent elementary manuals of mineralogy, 

 but the present volume will take a high place in making the Dana 

 series complete. 



VI. — Brief Notices. 



1. — The Beginner's Guide to the ^[icroscope. By Chas. E. Heath, 

 F.R.M.S. 8vo; pp. 1-1 19, with 46 text-illustrations. London: 

 Percival Marshall & Co., n.d. Price Is. net. 



THERE is no pretence in this little book of giving instruction in 

 scientific microscopy : its aim is purely to teach the beginner 

 to use the instrument as a means of recreation. As an introduction 



