Remews — The Palceontoffraphical Society's Monographs. 123 



Haime ; and lie prefaces it with, an " Introduction," comprising a 

 clear, concise, and systematic account of the anatomy, reproduction, 

 physiology, and classification of the Eecent, Tertiary, and Secondary 

 Stony Corals, based on the works of Edwards and Haime. The 

 exactitude with which the essential characters of the fossil Corals are 

 here pointed out, and distinguished according to a definite termin- 

 ology, will be thankfully recognised by many a naturalist and 

 geologist. Several new Tertiary Corals, chiefly from Mr. F. Edwards's 

 collection, are fully and methodically described, in strict, technical, 

 and therefore unmistakeable language. 



Mr. H. Woodward also stamps his Monograph on the Pterygotus, 

 Eurypterus, and their allies, with exactness of terminology, com- 

 pleteness of classification, and fullness of bibliographic histoiy; and 

 all this will be of great use in the further progress of his Monograph, 

 of which only a small portion now appears. 



The laborious and conscientious care in working out the history 

 and relationships of the known British Silurian Brachiopods, for 

 which Mr. Davidson's Monograph is remarkable, is characteristic of 

 that pala3ontologist, as is well known, by those who have gone 

 through his other Monographs, — or rather, the other Parts and 

 Volume of this his great Monograph of the British Brachiopoda. 

 The obscure specimens from Silurian slates, schists, and other 

 squeezed, distorted, and altered strata, have passed, like hieroglyphic 

 cartouches and semi-defaced medals, from dynasty to dynasty, from 

 name to name, until the care and erudition of one enthusiast have 

 been brought to bear on all and each, definite notions of their real 

 alliances have been settled, and perfect illustrations of all the series 

 made visible on one set of plates. The loving care with which every 

 feature in shape and ornament, wrinkles, pimples, network, etc., 

 have been delineated by Mr. Davidson himself, in these twelve 

 plates (part only of the Silurian series), is testified plainly. The 

 painstaking research, and reproduction of everything worth record- 

 ing that the various authors have written about the specimens 

 whereon they founded the species that Mr. Davidson treats of, is 

 only equalled by the good sense, caution, and perspicuity of his 

 descriptions. Besides its own Bibliographic Introduction, the Mono- 

 graph is preceded by a " Classification of the Silurian Eocks," by 

 Sir Eoderick Murchison— being a succinct account of the history of 

 discovery, and order of sequence, from that eminent geologist's own 

 point of view. 



As very many must necessarily value the Monographs, published 

 by the Palseontographical Society, for the illustrative figures, as 

 much as for the descriptions, we feel called on to remark that there 

 is no falling oif in the drawing or printing of the plates. George 

 West has given the Foraminifera, in his plates, a real natural aspect, 

 that no high-finished artificiality of the mere lithographer can attain 

 to. Mr. De Wilde has evidently succeeded in mastering the features 

 and structure of Corals. Mr. Fielding's Pterygoti are boldly, care- 

 fully, and naturally drawn. Lastly, Mr. Davidson's Brachiopods 

 are wonderful reproductions of the original specimens, and of their 



