UJ2 The American Geologist. ^arch, 1904. 
the "first planetary position." This storm not only added the asteroids 
to the sun's retinue, but added immensely to the size of the planets, and 
most of all to the size of the sun. Jupiter, from being a planet about the 
size of the earth, grew to what he is at the present time, and the other 
planets in similar ratio, in proportion to their distances from the storm 
centre. This was not a violent and cyclonic storm, but probably lasted 
many thousands of years, and the falling comets were small. Saturn's 
rings are "a lingering fragment of the great comet storm." Since the 
comet storm the inferior planets have been added in succession, each tak- 
ing its place first nearest the sun and afterwards being forced farther 
and farther away by later additions. These new planets are captured 
comets. 
One is tempted to compare this book with the wild and impossible 
romances of Jules Verne, but such a comparison would be unjust, for 
Mr. Taylor keeps within the laws of physics, and he treads with the con- 
fident step of a. giant amongst the great problems of physical astronomy 
' with which he manifests a friendly familiarity. The late Alexander 
Winchell affirmed, on his death bed, that he believed and thought he 
could prove mathematically, that the planets had all been in succession 
removed in their orbits farther and farther from the sun from time to 
time. The present writer has recorded that statement in a biographical 
sketch published in the American Geologist in February, 1892. p. 72. 
But he could not have derived that opinion from any such process of 
philosophy as presented by Mir. Taylor, for he was an adherent and 
defender of the nebular theory. n. h. w. 
Les Roches Alcalines caractcrisaiit la Province Petrographique d'Am- 
pasindava Deuxiene Memoire par A. Lacroix. (Nouvelles Archives 
du Museum d'Histoire Naturelle, 4th Series, Vol. V. 4to, 85 pages 
and 8 plates, Paris, 1903). 
The first memoir on this subject appeared in two parts about a 
year ago ; both parts were briefly reviewed in the Geologist (Vol. 
XXX. p. 328 and Vol XXXI. p. 183). 
The second memoir is also to appear in two parts ; the first part only 
has appeared ; it is devoted to a detailed description of many more 
samples of the important series of highly alkaline igneous rocks. The 
second part is to be devoted to a discussion of the questions aflfected by 
the study of this important petrographic province. 
The location of this province is in the northern end of the island 
of Madagascar; the eruptive rocks of the region are all post-Liassic in 
age. The particular localities whence the rocks are derived determine 
the division of the memoir into three chapters as follows : — Chapter 
I. The massif of Bezavana. Chapter II. Localities east and southeast 
of Bezavana in the region of Ankaramy. Chapter III. The alkaline 
granites of Ampasibitika. In the first chapter the following rocks are 
described: — i. Syenytes without nepheline. 2. Nepheline syenytes. 3. 
Nepheline monzanytes. 4. Related dike rocks. 5. The contact phe- 
nomena of the nepheline syenytes. 6. Proterobases. 
