38 



Reviews and Book Notices. 



stratified everywhere, has been split by vertical joints into a 

 series of g-ig-antic cubes. '"^ The author is 'forced to the con- 

 clusion that the Cheddar Gorge was, during the whole of the 

 Secondary period, a roofed-in cavern.' We don't quite gather 

 why, any more than we see any evidence for the statements 

 that certain unexplored portions of caves ' without doubt con- 

 tain pre-historic remains,' etc. To make the scientific portion 

 of the book a little plainer, there are, here and there, references 

 to the * annexed section,' but in each case there is no 'annexed 

 section ' ! The book is fairly well ' got-up,' and has numerous 

 -illustrations (generally without anything to denote the scale), 

 and whilst it may answer the purpose of those who undertake 

 ' Cave exploring as a sport,' to the sober-minded geologist who 

 is content with working above-ground, there is, we regret to 

 say, but little of interest or value. 







The Science Year=book, Diary, Directory, and Scientific Summary, 

 1908. King, Sell, & Olding, Ltd., 5/- 



The volume for 1908 has all the good qualities of the volume for 1907, 

 together with a few new features. There are some excellent summaries 

 of ' Science in 1907,' in which are ' Astronomy,' ' Bacteriology,' ' Botany,' 

 ' Physics,' ' and Zoology and Natural History,' ' Geology,' strangely enough 

 is omitted. In the ' List of Societies ' also we find Leeds, Birmingham, 

 etc. societies, but the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, with its four thousand 

 members and associates, is apparently unknown. But these are small 

 points, and the ' Science Year Book ' is a wonderful production for five 

 shillings. 



Hazell's Annua!, 1908. A Cyclopoedic Record of Men and Affairs 

 for use in 1908, edited by W. Palmer. London : Hazell, Watson, 

 and Viney, 1908. 602 pp., 3/6 net. 



The fact that this well-known Annual has reached its twenty-third 

 year of issue speaks well for it popularity. There are few subjects upon 

 which one cannot find some information in Hazell. The Index itself is a 

 work of art, and an idea of the variety of subjects upon which information 

 may be found fcan be obtained from the following, selected haphazard : — ■ 

 Irrigation in Egypt, Picture Sales in 1907, Imports of Rabbits, Scientific 

 Societies, Shell-fish, Statistics, Walking Championships, and Women's 

 Suffrage ; and all for three-and-six. 



Official Year=book of the Scientific and Learned Societies of 

 Qreat Britain and Ireland, 1907. 341 pp., price 7/6. 



In this, the twenty-fourth annual issue, all interested in science will 

 find a valuable record of a year's work. The various ' scientific and 

 learned ' societies throughout the kingdom are here enumerated, their 

 work during the year is carefully set out, and lists of papers read, etc., are 

 given. In this way a worker in a particular department can easily see 

 what is being done in the same direction in other parts of the country. 

 To assist in this, the various societies are classified under the heads of 

 'Geology,' 'Archaeology,' 'Medicine,' etc. The publishers of this ' Ye^j- 

 Book ' are doing excellent work. 



* The ' theory ' is remarkably like the one propounded at a recent meet- 

 ing- of Yorkshire Geologists, referred to on pag-e 28. It seems odd that a 

 similarly brilliant idea should have orig-inated in two minds at about the 

 same time. 



Naturalist, 



