366 



J^evH 7vs and Book Notices. 



this paper, the orioinal herd is now ' practically' extinct, since 

 the progeny henceforth will be a mixed one. For permission 

 to pnbhsh these details I am indebted to Mr. Masefield. I have 

 also to thank Rev. F. C. Barnwell for the photographs of 

 Chartley Cattle ; Mr. R. J. Irwin for that of black Welsh cows ; 

 Mr. J. \Miitaker for that of the skull of Lyme Park breed ; 

 Mr. Laisters F. Lort for that of the Vaynol herd ; and Captain 

 G. W. Cozens for that of the cow and calf in the * Zoo.' 



Excavation of the Roman Forts at Castleshaw. First interim 

 report, by F. A. Bruton. Manchester : Sherratt & Hughes. 37 pp., maps 

 and plates i/- 



This well-printed report contains particulars of the excavations made 

 during 1907 by ]\Ir. S. Andrew and IMajor W. Lees. The fort at Castleshaw 

 was described, and a plan was published by the Royal Society so long ago 

 as 1 75 1, but no really systematic excavations appear to have been made 

 until recently. ]\Iany new and important structural features have been 

 revealed, and several interesting questions have arisen, which it is hoped 

 subsequent excavations will answer. Some beads, spindle whorls, pottery, 

 etc. were found, particular interest centring around a tile with the letters 

 COH HIT BRE. The discussion on this tile, and the comparison made 

 between it and other similarly impressed tiles found elsewhere, constitutes 

 a valuable section of the report. The pamphlet is absurdly cheap at one 

 shilling, and should have a very large sale. 



Precious Stones, by W. Qoodchild, with a chapter on Artificial 

 Stones by Robert Dykes. London : Constable & Co. 309 pp., 6/- net. 



The author of this book is the son of our former contributor, the late 

 J. G. Goodchild, and we naturally expect to find a book written with the 

 care and skill so characteristic of his father's work. In this we are not 

 disappointed. ^Ir. Wilbert Goodchild has produced a book which, as well 

 as containing most that is known of the rarer gems, is thoroughly readable, 

 and can be perused and enjoyed by any one not necessarily particularly 

 interested in the subject. The chapter devoted to the history of precious 

 stones from the earliest times is a fair sample of the thoroughness with 

 which the author has done his work. He also deals with the mode of origin 

 of gems, their physical properties, methods of cutting gems, and imitation 

 gems. These chapters occupy about a quarter of the volume. Then follow 

 detailed accounts of the various precious stones from the diamond to jet ! 

 L^nfortunately the last sentence in the book is hardly accurate to-day : — 

 ' Much of the working of jet is carried on at Whitby ' ; the Whitby jet 

 trade being almost a thing of the past. A useful glossary and a good 

 index conclude the volume. There are several suitable illustrations. 



Coal, by James Tongue. London : Constable & Co. 265 pp., 6/- net. 



This is bound in uniformity with the volume on ' Precious Stones ' 

 referred to above. Mr. Tongue traces the history of the ' black dia- 

 mond ' from pre-historic times to the present day. From thence he turns 

 to its occurrence, and the various theories respecting its origin. The 

 chapters dealing with the fossils \i.e., animal remains] and botany of the 

 coal measures, respectively, are perhaps the most generally interesting,, 

 are well-illustrated, and quite up-to-date. Other chapters refer to British 

 and Foreign Coalfields, the classification and valuation of coal, uses and 

 waste of coal, its preparation for the market, and the production of heat 

 from coal. The final chapter refers to the coaling stations of the world 

 The book is excellentl}^ illustrated, and there is a useful index. 



Naturalist, 



