Reviews — Zittel' s and Schimper's Palceontology. 183 



the geological portion of the " Introduction to Scientific Observation 

 in Alpine Journeys," published by the German and Austrian 

 Alpine Society. How to observe is the first thing taught, both as 

 to rock-materials and the arrangement of strata in general, with 

 their mineral veins, faults, and foldings, and their normal and 

 abnormal successions. The relations of strata to the surface, the origin 

 of springs, also glaciers, caves, etc., are duly noticed or referred to. 

 Alpine structure is then entered upon ; and the constituent groups 

 of strata, from the "primitive" or " archseolithic " upwards, with 

 their chief characters and their leading fossils, are excellently well 

 noted and illustrated. The specialities of Alpine rocks, strata, and 

 fossils are next treated of, and shown by sections, etc., in order of 

 stratal sequence from below upwards ; so that nothing which a 

 beginner, or even an advanced student, in geology ought to observe 

 or look for, is omitted in this masterly resume. We know that it 

 is the work of an accomplished geological surveyor and experienced 

 Alpine explorer. T. R. J. 



IV. — Handbuoh der Pal^ontologie. By Karl A. Zittel, Professor 

 of Palaeontology in the University of Munich, in conjunction 

 with W. Ph. Schimper, Professor at the University of Strassburg, 

 8vo. vol. i. part ii. pp. 129-307, with 155 wood-engravings. 

 (Munich, 1879.) 

 rpHE second part of this excellent Manual of Palaeontology will be 

 L welcomed by all students of the science, and the long delay 

 in its appearance can be well forgiven when its cause is understood. 

 The first part, dealing with the general principles of Palaeontology, 

 with the Foraminifera and with the Radiolaria, was issued in 1876, 

 and there is thus an interval of between two and three years 

 between the dates of publication of the first and second instalments 

 of the work. The obstacle which gave rise to this apparently long 

 delay is to be found in the fossil Sponges. When Prof. Zittel came 

 to grapple with this portion of his subject, he found that it would 

 be necessary either to content himself with a simple compilation of 

 the known palaeontological literature dealing with these organisms, 

 or to attack this difficult group of fossils for himself, keeping his 

 mind free from previous prejudices, and starting afresh upon a new 

 basis of investigation. This latter alternative, fortunately for science, 

 was the one finally adopted; and the result is that the chaotic 

 crowd of fossil sponges now stands ranked in regular series, their 

 intimate structure more or less fully understood, and their relations 

 with living forms in many cases completely demonstrated. All 

 zoologists will find cause, therefore, to rejoice that Prof. Zittel 

 should have wisely decided rather to delay his work than to leave 

 the sponges in the unsatisfactory condition in which he found them. 

 From another point of view, it is interesting to note, as evidence 

 of the rapid progress that Palaeontology is making, that the author 

 recognizes that the delay which has occurred has already rendered 

 considerable alterations in the first part of the work a matter of 

 necessity. Some of these alterations, such as those necessitated by 



