o60 
THE GEOLOGIST. 
of those geological letters, — the fossil remains of extinct animals, in which that 
history "vvas imprinted. 
Novel information is necessarily scattered and dilfused ; one portion is read 
or delivered to one learned society, another to another on different occasions. 
Some 'parts are printed inj some of the public journals, ^some spoken ou 
public or private occasions, and it is usually only after the lapse of at lea«t 
some few years that a new book or a new edition of an old one gives to the 
world the portraiture of the investigations in their totality. 
The article on " Recent Discoveries in Scottish Geology" m the August 
number of our excellent contemporary, the Isorth Brithli Review, gives an 
admirable epitome, by a M'riter well versed in in the most perfect knowledge of 
his subject, of the entire series of geological advances made from the date of 
the publication of MaccuUoch's " Geological Map of Scotland" in 1732, to Mur- 
chison's first -'Sketch Map" of 1860, and his valuable communications to the 
London Geological Society in ISGl. Our space will not permit us to give an 
epitome of this valuable article or we should gladly do so, as it is one of such 
velue that everyone interested in Scottish Geology must become acquainted 
with it if he would understand as he ought to do the value of the recent 
laboui's of Sir Roderick Murchison and of Mr. Geekie, Professors Ramsay and 
Harkness, and other able geologists who have so well and properly supported 
his novel and important views. 
Mi'. Gregory's Mementanj Geological Series and Collections. 
We have just inspected some elementary collections of minerals, fossils, and 
rocks, which are issued at a very low price ; these are the best we have geeii 
for neatness of arragement, while the specimens are very characteristic of the 
subjects they illustrate. Mr. James Gregory, who has prepared these collections 
and who has a number of others of larger size specimens, is well versed in 
mineralogy, so that the names and localities can be depended on for correctness. 
The rocks especially have a very neat appearance, and we never have seen a 
a more complete British series. We understand they have been collected per- 
sonally by Mr. Gregory in each locality. 
One advantage ot these collections is that they can be obtained ^vithout cab- 
inets, and this we consider of great importance, as students can thus form a 
nucleus of a collection at a small cost and not be burthened with a small useless 
article, which they cannot enlarge nor probably dispose of. 
We woidd also call attention to the series of British fossils, which may be 
had in small sets, in the same way, of from tive to ten or one hundred specimens, 
each with name, formation, strata, and locality attached ; these series are re- 
markably good and cheap; the prices bein^ considerably under the usual charges. 
We have seen sets from the Red Crag, Hempsted Becl, Upper Headon, Lower 
Headon, Barton, Upper Chalk, Portland, and Permian strata, and we believe 
Mr. Gregory is preparing others from the other British strata. Some of the 
collections are so light as to be capable of transmission by post for a few pence 
over the cost by rail, so that collectors in the country, through these series 
have a cheap and easy metliod of obtaining deficiencies in their collections, and 
recognizing species of fossils by actual examples. Mr. Gregory's museum is 
nicely arranged, and contains a large and select collection of minerals and fossils 
easily accessible for the selection of single specimens. 
