58 The American Geologist. January, 1892 
Record of Science, Oct., 1891, pp. 139-43). By the aid of Mr. G. Stead, 
Prof. Matthews has found, on Navy island, in St. John harbour, abun- 
dant specimens of Dictyonema flabelliforme, in black shales of Division 
three (Bretonian) of his St. John group. The Tremadoc fauna, however, 
which is near the same horizon, is thought not to be on the island, but to 
the north of it, in the channel of St. John river. Associated with Dicty- 
onema he found also the brachiopods Obolus, somewhat like O. apollonis, 
Obolella, Linnarssonia and a Lingula or Linguella. 
The Story of the Hills, a book about mountains for general readers. Rev. 
H. N. Hurcurnson, 12mo, pp. 357, Macmillan & Co., New York and Lon- 
don, 1892. Although this is a popular work it is based on a thorough 
knowledge of the geology of the subject. It illustrates how vastly the 
popular science of the day is improved over that of a century ago. In- 
deed the work here put forth as adapted to general readers would have 
been welcomed then as an addition to technical, or at least to philosoph 
ical geology. It embodies in a pleasant style much of the philosophy of 
the formation, age, erosion and uses of mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, 
sedimentation, pressure and upheaval. 
Correlation Papers of the U. S. Geological Survey ; Devonian and Carbon- 
iferous. H.S. Wii11aMs, Bulletin No. 80, Washington, 1891. 
In his consideration of the Devonian and Carboniferous rocks profes- 
sor Williams discusses several problems connected with the subject, 
after he has given a general review of the literature. He examines in 
considerable detail the state of opinion regarding classification and 
nomenclature from the beginning of the century up to 1851. The Wer- 
nerian system, based upon mineralogical characters, long retarded the 
advance of geological knowledge, and it was only after the completion 
of the report of the geological survey of New York that the science 
advanced with any rapidity. The New York geologists, following 
the methods of Sedgwick and Murchison, finally gave to the world the 
““New York system,” which, although somewhat defective, established 
a standard for the rocks of this country. 
Prof. Williams advocates the separation of the study of the geologist 
and the paleontologist; he believes the work of the former should be 
to carefully observe the characters of the formations, describe their 
various features, preserve their fossils and so arrange his observations 
that “distinct association will be found in the name applied to each 
formation with the observations actually made in the field. The refer- 
erence,” he says, “of each particular formation to a place in some stand- 
ard scale should not be made without careful study. This careful study 
cannot be made independently of the fossils, for fossiliferous rocks, and 
in order that the paleonto'ogist may make his studies without prejudice, 
the names of the formations, their localities, and their petrographic 
characters should be described and recorded, quite independently of the 
fossils which they contain.” (p 55.) 
The use of the term “ New York system” is argued against inasmuch 
as it is considered an imperfect division of geological time. He advo- 
