320 



THE GEOLOGIST, 



moor, Wyre Eorest (tliis latter place is described at p. 136 of my book), and I 

 find upon the surface of the top layer of cream-coloured limestone numerous 

 teeth and fin-spines of small predatory fishes, very tiny, scarcely larger tban 

 dots and specks till a lens is brought to bear upon them ; but upon some parts 

 of this surface they are plentifully sprinkled, and have quite a pleasing appear- 

 ance, their shining black contrasting so decidedly with the cream-coloured rock 

 on which they lie. Iron-pyrites in very smaU cubic crystals accompany them. 

 Scales of these small fish are also contained in the limestone, and it has 

 Spirorbis in plenty. The Cyprides are nearly confined to the coffee-coloured 

 shales lying beneath the harder band. 



This limestone occurs at the Gibhouse pits and at Biakemoor, but lacustrine 

 bivalve shells (Cyclas) are there its only fossils. — Yours very trily, Geokge 

 E. Roberts, Kidderminster. 



REVIEW. 



Geological Gossip ; or, Stray Chapters on Earth and Ocean. By Professou 

 D. T. Ansted. London : Routledge and Co., 1860. 



Very pleasant and useful geological gossip Professor Ansted has laid before 

 the world in the eighteen chapters of which this popularly written bttle book 

 consists. The chapters generally appear to us to be very concise and lucid 

 epitomes of various valuable contrilDutions to geological and physical science. 

 Thus various useful geological matters which are contained in the two short 

 but excellent chapters on the Atlantic seem to have been judiciously selected 

 from that ponderous volume of vabiable investigations and data " Maury's 

 Sailing Directions," and from the Reports of the soundings in the Atlantic for 

 the electric telegraph. Dr. Livingstone's researches in Africa, Mallet and 

 Perrey's Earthquake Statistics, Sir Charles Lyell's demolishing attack on the 

 Crater of Elevation theory, Darwin's investigations on the Origin of Species. 

 Mr. Horner's borings into the stratified deposits of the Nile, Boucher de 

 Perthes' Antiquites Antediluviennes, Mr. Prv.'stwich's Paper before the Royal 

 Sociely on the Discoveries of Eossil Works of Man, Delesse's Experiments on 

 the Metamorpliism of Rocks, and other similar labours condensed with 

 admirable brevity, have furnished the chief materials for the really interesting 

 cliapters on the Interior of Africa, the Statistics of Earthquakes, the Origin of 

 Volcanos, the Battle of Life, the Antiquity of the Human Race in Egypt, 

 Human Remains in Caverns and Gravel, and the Origin of Rocks and Meta- 

 morpliism. 



If by these remarks we should seem to be detracting from the originality of 

 this work — a merit Professor Ansted, by the total absence of preface or intro- 

 duction, docs not himself seem desirous of claiming for it — we would in con- 

 clusion express our sincere wish that the future may be rich in similar 

 periodical epitomes of important scientific labours and investigations as reliably, 

 readably, and usefully set forth, and as admirably adapted forgiving the general 

 reader a just view of their leading principles. 



