276 Reviews — W. N. Rice — On the Bermudas. 



skull and sink to the sea-bottora on the decomposition of the sacculns 

 in which they are inclosed, whilst the rest of the skeleton might be 

 drifted to distant localities ; the harder structure of the otoliths 

 would also favour their preservation, and enable them to resist in- 

 fluences which would completely destroy the softer bones of the 

 skeleton. 



IV. — Transactions of the Cumberland and Westbiorland Asso- 

 ciation. No. IX. 1883-84. Edited by J. G. Goodohild, 

 F.G.S., F.Z.S. 



PART VIII. of these Transactions was noticed in the Geological 

 Magazine for April, 1884. The number now before us con- 

 tains an interesting and suggestive article on " The Penrith Sand- 

 stone," by Mr. J. G. Goodchild. This deposit occurs at the base of 

 the New Ked Sandstone series, and contains conglomeratic beds 

 locally known as Brockram. The lacustrine origin of the sandstone 

 is advocated by Mr. Goodchild, and he considers that the Brockram 

 may have been produced by the aid of shore-ice in the old lake. 

 Most striking is his conclusion that not only the Pennine chain, but 

 also the Lake Mountains were upheaved after the New Eed period. 

 Mr. T. V. Holmes furnishes some " Notes on the best locality for Coal 

 beneath the Permian Eocks of North-west Cumberland." Miss 

 Donald, of Stanwix, contributes " Notes on some Carboniferous 

 Gasteropoda from Penton and elsewhere," describing one new species, 

 Aclisina costatula. The paper is accompanied by a plate. Mr. J. 

 Leitch figures some remains of Bos primigenius in a plate accompany- 

 ing some " Notes on the Geological Formation and Fossils of the 

 Silloth New Dock." Mr. Goodchild gives the concluding part of his 

 Contributions towards a list of the Minerals occurring in Cumberland 

 and Westmorland. Useful local scientific notes and memoranda con- 

 clude the volume. 



Y. — Contributions to the Natural History of the Bermudas. 

 Part I. The Geology of Bermuda, by William North Rice. 

 Bull. Nat. Mus., No. 25, pp. 1-32, pi. ii.-vi. (Washington, 1884.) 



IN recording his own observations and summarizing those of his 

 predecessors (notably J. Matthew Jones, Sir Wyville Thomson, 

 and Major-Gen. Richard J. Nelson, E.E.), Prof. Rice describes the 

 Bermudas (long. 64° 40' — 66°, lat. 32° 10'— 32° 20') as an imper- 

 feet atoll formed about an undescribed nucleus during a period of 

 submergence and modified by (1) elevation during which the atollic 

 character was largely obliterated and extensive drift sand-rock 

 deposits were accumulated, and (2) subsequent depression during 

 which the wind-blown sand deposits were in part removed, caves 

 were submerged, and lagoons were formed. These oscillations are 

 hypothetically correlated with those of the New England Quaternary 

 period, and the last is shown to be pre-histoi'ic. The rocks recog- 

 nized are (1) coral reef- rock, (2) beach sand-rock, derived from the 

 first by wave-action, (3) drift sand-rock derived from both the pre- 

 ceding by iEolian action, (4) '-red earth" derived from all of the 



