356 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
and brittle. We would ask if any one has observed if the fossil shells in any of our 
freshwater strata exliibit this difference in thickness and condition between the old 
and new shell-uiatter? By this means, where numbers exhibited such peculiarities 
of growth, we might, sometimes, obtain a knowledge of the lime of year at which 
the fossil moUusca died, and their entombment in the deposit took place. Such 
inferences would prove of value. No English work on recent mollusca is 
comparable with Forbes and Hanley's "British Mollusca," published by Van Voorst, 
If th's work, however, is too costly. Wood's " Index Testaceologicus " is a very good 
substitute, and Woodward's "Manual of the Mollusca," published by We'ale, is 
an inexpensive but admirable assistant, full of illustrations, and the matter clear, 
lucid, and correct. This last work is the best book for the student, and contains 
at pages 17 and 623 full instructions for collecting. The Ammonite-like shells 
referred to as occurring in the ironstone-nodules of the coal-measures are probably 
specimens either of Bellerophon or Goniatitts. We could tell by the transmission 
of specimens or of gutta-percha casts. 
PliOPOSITION FOR AN ASSOCIATION OF AmaTEUE GEOLOGISTS. — " SiR, — I take 
the liberty of submitting to your consideration for approval, or otherwise, the 
suggestion of the advisability of young geologists (i.e., young as regards their 
progress in the science) forming themselves into a society. If you approve of 
this suggestion, will you be kind enough to give it publicity in the correspondence 
colunms of your periodical ? The best reasons I can adduce in support of this 
idea are the circumstances of my o\vn case as a solitary student of the science. 
About four years ago a perusal of Lyells' " Elements " led me to perceive that 
geology was nothing less than a study of the physical history of the globe, and of 
the races that have successively inhabited it. Since that time I have studied the 
other works of Lyell, and also those of Buckland, Mantell, Miller, Page, Ansted, 
&c. And this amount of theoretical knowledge, with the results of a few 
rambles in the Tliames-Iiasin, and along the sea-coast from Ramsgate to Brighton, 
is all that I can boast of. I have never been able to meet with a single individual 
with whom I could exchange a dozen thoughts upon geology. Sometimes, indeed, 
I have thought that I never should be able to enjoy that pleasure ; but the mere fact 
of the publication of the GEOLOCfisT is an evident proof that geology is more 
generally studied than I thoiight it was. Besides, my circumstances are such as 
to prevent me, not only from obtaining such works as Murcbison's " Siluria 
Agassiz's " Poissons Fossils," &c., but also from taking long journeys, or spending 
much time in the country. There are also many maps which I should like to study 
but which I cannot afford to buy. Now, Sir, I doubt not there are many young men 
in London whose individual cases in many respects resemble mine, and were we 
to form a society, meeting at stated periods, we could compare notes, give account 
of our rambles, examine one another's fossils and minerals, exchange duplicates ; 
whilst the subscriptions would purchase maps and books such as individually we 
could not obtain; and in many ways we could be of great assistance to one 
another. I throw out the suggestion in a very general manner, this not 
being the pro])er occasion for entering more minutely into details; but hoping 
that the idea itself will meet with your apiirobation, I am. Sir, yours, W. J. 
Haywood." — To this proposal for the association of young geologists we are dis- 
posed to give our assistance, but we should have liked to have placed something 
more definite before our readers, and for this purpose we wrote direct to the 
author of the suggestion. From some informality, or incorrectness in the address, 
our letter has been rettirned to us from the ])ost-office. We can, therefore, only 
express our sympathy in the project, and say that we shall be happy to be the 
medium of connnunication until definite arrangements are made by the suggester 
and otliers for carrying it out. 
Private Collections. — " Dear Sir, — I wish to say, following the exampleof the 
Rev. Mr. Brodie and others, that my collection is open to geologists when I am not 
absent from Richmond. It is a general British one, and particularly rich 
in carboniferous IJrachiopo'hi and Crinoidea. Of the latter interesting family, I 
have been again very successful in discovering another new genus, as well as some 
I'urthcr new species. 1 am about leaving for Belgium, to visit my learned friend. 
