﻿Reviews — The Palceontographical Society. 225 



British area ; but it may be said to be rendered a certainty by the 

 study of the Devonian deposits of the continent of Europe ; or, still 

 more, by the investigation of the vast, for the most part uninter- 

 rupted and continuous series of sediments which commenced to be 

 laid down in North America at the beginning of the Upper Silurian, 

 and did not cease till, at any rate, the close of the Carboniferous." 

 This from one who has laboured so extensively as Prof. Nicholson 

 has done, both as a geologist and paleeontologist, amongst the rocks 

 of that age in North America, is gratifying support to the Devonian 

 advocates amongst ourselves. 



Want of space quite prevents us following Prof. Nicholson step 

 by step through his very interesting and instructive book, much as 

 we are tempted to do so. We need only add that the same care 

 and attention to detail is evinced in dealing with the Secondary and 

 Tertiary formations as is shown in the earlier parts of the work. 

 The concluding chapter is on "The Succession of Life upon the 

 Globe," in which are summarized some of the principal results 

 which may be deduced as to the succession of life upon the earth 

 from the facts which have been passed in review in the preceding 

 portion of the work. 



Without coinciding with Prof. Alleyne Nicholson in all the views 

 expressed in his latest work, yet we still feel ourselves authorized in 

 considering the " Ancient Life- History of the Earth " as a desirable 

 addition to every student's library, and as a work which will 

 probably have a tendency to increase the study of Palseontology 

 amongst us in no small degree. In the event of the book reaching 

 a second edition, which we have no doubt it will, we would strongly 

 advocate the insertion of a " generalized section " of the Scottish 

 Carboniferous rocks for comparison with those of England, the 

 very marked differences of deposition evinced by the Carboniferous 

 series in North and South Britain being a point of considerable 

 interest. Another point, and we have done. How much would the 

 value of a work like the present be increased by the introduction of 

 a few generic descriptions — descriptions of genera typical of each 

 period into which the book is divided — terse, but to the point ? We 

 feel sure that an enlargement to this extent would repay the author 

 for his trouble as much as it would afford instruction and pleasure 

 to the reader. The book is printed in an exceedingly clear type, 

 the illustrations are good, very numerous, and, so far as we are 

 able to judge, accurate, and the whole woi'k does the publishers 

 much credit. 



IL — AVoEKs OF THE Pal^ontographioal Sooiett. 



1. — Monographs of British Fossils. Published by the Palaeonto- 

 graphical Society. Vol. XXVII. (for 1873). 4to. (London, 

 1874.) 



ri^HE continued enthusiasm and industry of veteran palasonto- 

 ■ legists, who have done much for the elucidation of British 

 fossils in the earlier volumes of these Monographs, again offer 

 rich stores to both systematic and amateur naturalists. 



DECADE II. VOL. IV. — NO. V. 15 



