42G Reviews — Monographs published by 



of the Carboniferous period, as compared with that of the present 

 day," Dr. Hooker says, " I am mainly indebted to Mr. Binney for 

 all I know of the most important features of this genus," {i. <?., Sigil- 

 laria) and whose investigations of their habit, mode of growth, and 

 of their connection with the Stigmarice, are beyond all praise." He 

 further adds, " In the Manchester Museum there is a room almost 

 entirely devoted to illustrating the Botany of the Coal formation. 

 The original sj)ecimens of some Sigillarice, and models of others of the 

 natural size, collected and transported with great labour, and arranged 

 under Mr. Binney 's direction, present to the eye the grandest fea- 

 tures of the Coal flora. Accustomed as I had been to see these fossils 

 in situ, both in the pits and in quarries, I had previously no ade- 

 quate conception of their gigantic size, nor of the rapidity with which 

 coal may have been formed, if the tissues of these vegetables were as 

 lax as I suppose them to have been.^ 



The present monograph treats of Calamites and Calamodendron, and 

 the author premises his own remarks on the specimens figured by a 

 short history of all which has been already written as to these forms. 

 Although the long delay which has occurred in the publication of Mr. 

 Binney's paper has caused other authors to anticipate him to a great 

 extent in the results of his examination of the microscopic structure 

 of these interesting coal-plants, yet the author's observations on their 

 geological position and mode of occurrence in the various beds of Coal 

 are of the greatest value, and the beautiful plates — executed by Mr. J. 

 N. Fitch, mostly from specimens prepared by Mr. Cuttell, whose skill 

 in slicing and mounting sections of fossil wood deserves all praise, — 

 render the monograph of still greater value. We cannot but regret 

 that the author should have adopted for his specimens Brongniart's 

 name Calamodendron instead of Calamites, the name given by Suckow 

 in 1784, and since accepted by all subsequent writers ; the more so, 

 as he says — " no attempt will be made to distinguish the genus 

 Calamodendron from the old genus Calamites.^'' Let us get rid of all 

 superfluous names from our scientific nomenclature as fast as we can, 

 and if the genera Aster ophyllites, Anmdaria, Sphenophjlliim, and Cala- 

 modendron (with several others), all mean the same thing as Cata- 

 mites^ let us make synonyms of them at once. 



2. Dr. Duncan continues his labours on the Fossil Corals of the 

 Lias, which, as we observed in a former notice (Geol. Mag., Yol. 

 IV. p. 409), makes us acquainted with an entirely new series 

 of British species. 



In the present part the author gives us the history of the Corals 

 from the Zone of Ammonites angulatus. He describes and figures 

 Montlivaltia Ruperti and Isastrma Tom.esii, and then discusses the 

 Corals of the British and European Lower Liassic Deposits of the 

 zones of Ammonites angulatus ^ Ammonites planorhis^ and Avicula 

 contorta. 



It appears from Dr. Duncan's observations that there was a great 



1 P. 417, op. cit. 



2 For observations upon these interesting plant-remains, see Notice of Dr. Dawson's 

 work on Acadian Geology in Geological Magazine for July 1 ast, p. 332. 



