F. GEOGRAPHY. 133 



undertaking. The appropriation is commended by the Sec- 

 retary of the Interior to the favorable consideration of Con- 

 gress. 



The professor has returned from the West for the purpose 

 of building boats to be used in the lateral canons of the Colo- 

 rado. He has been quite successful in finding passes into the 

 Grand Canon by which supplies can be taken to the river. 

 Thus he will be able to continue his work to completion even 

 though he should meet with a loss of rations at any time, as 

 he did on his first trip through the canons, for now he can get 

 fresh supplies through these passes. After he had completed 

 the exploration of these canon passes he crossed Northern 

 Arizona to New Mexico, and on the way visited the " Seven 

 Ancient Cities," and spent several weeks with their interest- 

 ing people, making vocabularies of their language, collecting 

 their implements, utensils, etc., and studying their mytholo- 

 gy, religion, habits, customs, etc. 



The professor found that their religion was elaborately sys- 

 tematized, and that they used sacred paintings, or picture- 

 writing, in their worship. His discoveries among this rem- 

 nant of a once great nation will be of interest to those who 

 have made a study of the aboriginal races of the continent. 



In March or April he will rejoin his party left in the field, 

 shipping his boats by the Pacific Railroad. 



EXPLORATION OF PROFESSOR COPE. 



Among the explorations of the past season in the interest 

 of natural history, one of the most important and productive 

 in its results was that of Professor E.D. Cope, of Philadelphia, 

 well known for his indefatigable researches in regard to the 

 recent and fossil vertebrates of America. The field of his la- 

 bors was mainly in the valley of the Smoky Hill Fork of the 

 Republican River, in Kansas, where, under the protection of 

 an escort of seventy-five infantry, commanded by Captain 

 Butler, and detailed by order of General Pope, he spent sev- 

 enteen days in the diligent prosecution of his labors. As is 

 well known to American palaeontologists, this region is one 

 of the richest in the world in fossil remains of reptiles and 

 fishes. Of these a large number of specimens Were obtained 

 by Professor Cope, many of extraordinary magnitude, and 

 some of them entirely new to science. More or less complete 



