The Romance of Modern Geology. By Edwin S. Grew. (Seeley
and Co. 5s.)—Most entertaining and illuminating is Mr. Grew's handling of modern geology. He puts the pith, the striking facts, clearly before us, and has been more successful than most popular writers in setting forth the extraordinary changes and vicissitudes in the long evolution of animal life. There is nothing more astonishing than the waves of progress that appear, first in one continent, then in another. The Americas were at one time the great theatre of the evolution of the horse. He began as a swift little creature of the size of a large fox-terrier, and became extinct when he was not much bigger than a large collie ; the scene was then shifted back to Asia, whence he had originally come. Thus it has been with many creatures. Very interesting are the chapters on earthquakes and the rocks, all told in a lucid but dignified style, which impresses the reader with the respect due to such a wondrous story. Now and again our author perhaps takes too much for granted in the elementary equipment of his youthful readers in describing the steps of the geological record, as, for instance, in the "Ages of Mammals"; but read aloud with verbal explanations, we can imagine no more fascinating and instructive recreation for intelligent boys than a chapter from The Romance of Modern Geology.
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