Revleio of Recent Geological Litemture. liT 
Mr. Ilaj-'s rejjort is as full of mistakes as is that which refers to Texas, 
it might with propriety be called, "A Comedy of Errors," were it not 
for the fact tliat it Is too iiat to he comical. 
T]\e tSi'i'tiinl ]'iihinii' III' flic Filial Repoi'l of the Sccoiid (icoloi/icKl 
Siirrei/ of Piiiiixi/lriniin. J. 1*. Licsi.ky. No geologist has a more inti- 
mate or perfect acquaintance with the structure of the Keystone 
state than he who has been for so many years at the head of the second 
geological survey. Professor Lesley's connection with tlie first survey, 
by Kogers, more than forty years ago and his conduct of the present, 
together with many years of professional work as a mining and geologi- 
cal engineer, have rendered his knowledge both accurate and minute. 
It is with pleasure therefore, that we welcome this second volume of 
his final report summarizing tlie results obtained in the Systems V to 
IX in the first survey, or those contained between the Clinton and 
the Catskill inclusive, of the New York system. The presentation of 
these results in brief and in a manageable form is as great a boon to 
geologists as was the publication some years ago of the hand atlas of 
Pennsylvania, containing small geologically colored maps of every 
county in the state. It is absolutely impossible that outsiders, to say 
the least, can grasp the extent and amount of the work unless it is 
laid before them in some such condensed form as tliis. Life is too 
short to allow any one to wade through the hundred and odd volumes 
already issued by the second survey, in search of what he may never 
find, and the thanks of all are due to professor Lesley for ])()th his 
condensations. 
Of course the materials have been almost entirely drawn from the 
separate reports on the counties already issued and mainly from those 
of professor I. C. White and professor E. AV. Claypole wliich are in 
great part concerned with the particular fornuitions that form the 
subjects of this volume. 
We do not proi)ose here to criticize the work at any great length or 
to follow it far into detail. Space will not allow tliis. Nor do we pro- 
pose to criticize the ])lan, which is tlie same as that of the first vol- 
ume. The various formations are followed over so mucli of the state 
as they cover and the details of their structure st't forth. Per- 
haps in the circumstances no otlKn* ])lan would be any l)et tcr. if so 
good. 
The labor of llnis reducing and condensing till' results of the sur- 
veyors can only be realized by those who liave undertaken similar 
tasks. Kqually surprising is th(» rajtidity w itli which tlie second 
volume luis followed the h"rsl Let us lio])c that the health and 
working strength of the author will at least iicrniit him to complete 
the third and fiiuil volume of his life's work. 
I'rofessor Lesley's training naturally inclined him to look most 
favorably on the structural side of geology and lie has often >liown 
undue distrust of the results of pahrontology. r.iii in this and the 
preceding volume he has laid due stress on this |)art of the subject 
