o22 Reviews — Big shy's Thesaurus Siluricus — 



the most elaborate detail the physical structure and past life-history 

 of the Silurian rocks of Bohemia, as wonderful in their geological 

 structure as in the richness of the fauna they contain. How well 

 Barrande has performed this task, and how exhaustive have been 

 his researches, the future history of geological science will prove. 



James Hall, whose palasontological researches in the State of 

 New York are almost without a parallel, still labours as the '' State 

 Geologist." Six quarto volumes attest untiring zeal for his favourite 

 science ; these are chiefly devoted to the elucidation, description, and 

 history of the organic remains of the Palaeozoic deposits of that State. 



The author of the "Thesaurus Siluricus" has kept pace with 

 these great geological and palseontological labourers, and, in the 

 volume under notice, has chronicled with faithfulness, not only 

 their results, but those of every reliable authority that the literature 

 of geology supplies ; and his own knowlege and research is a 

 guarantee for the value of the compilation and analysis he has 

 undertaken. Few men would have attempted such a task, even 

 had they possessed the requisite amount of practical knowledge and 

 experience necessary ; and those who really know the detailed 

 labour, time, and anxiety involved in making some 50 or 60,000 

 references will best appreciate the service rendered to the student in 

 this department of science in the reduction of mechanical labour 

 alone ; and herein lies the great value of the Thesaurus. 



We question if any special catalogue of modem times was more 

 wanted or better conceived ; but as it is the production of one who 

 has been a laborious student and fellow -labourer in Silurian geology 

 and palaeontology for nearly fifty years, it needs no apology. Who 

 has not felt the importance in geological studies of being enabled 

 readily to arrive at facts and reliable data ; and without such 

 details as are attempted in the Thesaurus no generalizations or 

 solutions of the great problems of the distribution of life through 

 time and space can be arrived at, for as the author happily quotes 

 on the title page, " The boldest and happiest generalizations must 

 depend on details." 



It has evidently been the want felt by the author of the Thesaurus 

 of obtaining a ready knowledge of the distribution of species geogra- 

 phically and biographically, that induced him to commence his List 

 of Silurian life, and embracing the two great kingdoms of Plants and 

 Animals. No such record, or muster-roll of either kingdom being 

 obtainable, except by wading through the details of European and 

 American geological and palseontological literature, and consulting 

 the various works of Barrande, Bronn, Brongniart, Dalmann, Gold- 

 fuss, Pander, Von Buch, Wahlenburg, Eoemer, Hisinger, Eichwald, 

 Hall, Davidson, etc., etc. 



It is to Silurian time and deposits only that this work applies, and 

 the nearly 9000 species authentically enumerated, geologically and 

 stratigraphically placed, may be received as the exhaustive labours 

 of the author up to the present year, derived from the various works 

 of every reliable author upon Silurian and general Palaeozoic Geo- 

 logy. The plan is comprehensive and clear, giving us at once the 



i 



