E. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 225 



indicate the removal of paleolithic man from those areas by 

 the ice-sheet, and appears to carry the period back anterior 

 to the ice-sheet that is, to interglaclal, if not preglacial, times. 

 12 A, November 6, 1873, 14. 



PROGRESS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CALIFORNIA. 



Professor J. D. Whitney has published a statement of the 

 progress of the Geological Survey of California for the years 

 1872 and 1873, showing a very great result for the very mod- 

 erate appropriations made by the state for this purpose. The 

 members of the survey have been chiefly occupied in com- 

 pleting the topographical surveys for the series of maps, of 

 which quite a number have been published. Those that have 

 appeared are masterpieces of clearness and artistic merit, and 

 are well worthy of imitation by those who have similar en- 

 terprises in charge. 



The announcement is made that the series of natural-his- 

 tory reports is in a state of as great forwardness as the means 

 at command will permit ; and it is hoped that all but the bo- 

 tanical volumes will be printed before the end of the next 

 year, as well as the second part of the ornithology, embracing 

 the water birds. The fossil plants are in the hands of Pro- 

 fessor Lesquereux, and will constitute the third volume of the 

 paleontological series. 



Additional material in reference to the vertebrata and the 

 shells of the state has been brought too-ether, and awaits 

 further appropriations. There yet remain five to seven vol- 

 umes to complete the reports on the original plan, four vol- 

 umes already having been published, and taking high rank 

 as standard works. 



The unfinished volumes can all be ready for presentation, 

 should the necessary appropriations be made, by the 30th of 

 June, 1875. 



TSCHERMAKITE. 



A new mineral, named after the mineralogist Tschermak, 

 has been described by V. Kobell. Its locality is Bamle, in 

 Norway. It is a highly lustrous, cleavable mineral, of spe- 

 cific gravity 2.64, and belongs to the class of feldspars. 

 When heated, it emits a whitish, phosphorescent light. 18 

 (7, February 18, 1874, 103. 



K 2 



