82 



The Geology of Scai'borough District. 



In the introduction it is stated that ' these few pag-es ' (some 

 119) 'are intended to g-ive a short sketch of the leading- 

 geological and physical features comprised in Sheets 54 and 55 

 of the Survey Map,' and for further details the reader is referred 

 to the 'Jurassic Rocks of Britain,' Vols. i. and ii. Of course, 

 anyone who knows the author will be prepared to find what 

 really is the case, that the 119 or so pages contain an interesting 

 and fairly full account of the district, and, what is more to the 

 point, it will bear examination. It is indeed quite refreshing, in 

 these days, to read such solid and accurate work, when so many 

 geological treatises appear to have been written in an arm chair 

 with the assistance of a fossil map or two. 



But a memoir is not intended to be a mere sketch (although 

 to judge b}^ the ridiculous flimsiness of the paper cover, the 

 contents might be intended to serve an even lighter purpose 

 than that), and it would have added to the value of the volume 

 if the Plant Bed of Gristhorpe Bay had received a little more 

 than passing mention. While it is not to be expected that such 

 a feature could be exhaustively treated in this work, especially 

 in view of the published treatises dealing with this bed, a little 

 fuller treatment would have brought it more into line with the 

 rest of this excellent work. 



The Kimeridge Clay has had its fauna considerably extended 

 by Mr. C. G. Danford, who has added to the list of Belemnites 

 since this work was written, and the same remark applies to 

 the Speeton Clay. 



The reference to the ' Portlandian ' is not quite clear, or 

 perhaps it would be better to say, is somewhat hypothetical. 



The chalk is succintly dealt with, but in five pages it could 

 not be expected that more than a somewhat condensed summary 

 of the chalk literature and the author's observations could be 

 compressed into so small a space, consequently many features 

 of this formation have had to remain undescribed. It is stated 

 that ' Dr. Rowe is now working at the Palaeontology of these 

 beds.' Dr. Rowe has since published his 'Zones of the White 

 Chalk of the English Coast, Part IV., Yorkshire,' an excellent 

 work considerably extending the fauna of this formation and 

 throwing light on several lithological and physical features. 



The Superficial Deposits are well described in the all too 

 brief six pages allotted to these interesting beds. The Boulder- 

 clay, with its extensive range and remarkable development, 

 would require a volume to adequately deal with so interesting 



Natiir.iUst, 



