132 Reviews — Balh Guide to the Western Alps. 



Upper Austria, 451, 1869 (pi. vi.) ; Greensaud fossils from near 

 Osnabriick, 808, 1869 (pi. ix.); Upper Mesozoic strata near Eisenach, 

 385, 1870; Permian plant-remains from Val Trompia, 456, 1869 

 (pi. V.) ; Coal Insects (in the Dresden Musemn, etc.), 158, 1869 

 (pi. iii.) ; Coal Insects of Thuringia, 282, 1870 (cuts) ; Ostracods 

 and an Insect from the Saarbriick Coal, 286, 1870 (cuts); Coal 

 plants from the Altai, 462, 1869 (pi. vi., figs. 4 and 5) ; Coal fossils 

 (especially fruits) from Haute-Loire, 417, 1870 (pi. iv.) ; Devonian 

 rocks of the Westerwald, 658, 1869 ; Eozoon in Sweden, 551, 1869 ; 

 Geology of Guatemala and Salvador, 769, 1869 ; Geology of Nor- 

 way, 385, 1869 (cut). 



The decennial Index (Allgemeines Bepertorium, etc.) for the " Jahr- 

 buch," consists of world-wide and almost perfect lists of Authors, 

 Subjects, and Places, having relations with Geology, Minerals, and 

 Fossils, for the years it refers to. With its predecessors, for nearly 

 fifty years, it forms a valuable series of catalogues for general and 

 special reference. T. E. J. 



III. — A Guide to the Westeen Alps. By John Ball, F.E.S., 

 M.R.I.A., etc. New Edition. 8vo., pp. 378. (London, 1870. 

 Longmans, Green, & Co.) Price 7s. 6d. 



THE present volume is one of three, which together form " The 

 Alpine Guide " ; it is devoted to a consideration of the entire 

 range that encircles the plain of Piedmont, from the Maritime Alps 

 north of Nice to the Pass of the Simplon, along with the Dauphine 

 and Savoy-Alps, and the portions of Switzerland connected with the 

 Pennine range. In addition to the ordinary subjects treated of in 

 a guide-book, and which Mr. Ball's extensive acquaintance with the 

 country has rendered very complete, we are also glad to notice that 

 in this work attention is prominently drawn to the Natural History 

 of the Alps, in a series of articles on the Climate and Vegetation, 

 the Zoology, Meteorology and Hypsometry, the Glacial Phenomena, 

 and, lastly, on the Geology. Our object in noticing this book is 

 particularly to direct attention to an article on the Geology of the 

 Alps, by M. Desor, of Neuchatel, which has been translated by Mr. 

 Ball. This essay brings together all the important facts known of 

 the geology of the district; and it is satisfactory to learn that the 

 views expressed by its author coincide in the main with those held 

 by Professor Studer and other leading Swiss geologists. 



The general structure of the Alps has been shown by Professor 

 Studer to consist of groups or mountain masses, characterized by a 

 crystalline centre and an outer coating of sedimentary rocks. He 

 distinguished nineteen of these groups between the Ligurian Alps 

 and the Adige ; and M. Desor, in extending this classification to the 

 entire range of the Alps, increases the number to thirty-three, which 

 he severally describes. 



The highest peaks of the Alps are formed of crystalline rocks, 

 although many prominent peaks are formed of Secondary deposits. 

 Among the crystalline rocks are reckoned the several varieties of 



