G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 253 



rector of the Geological Survey of Ohio, and professor in the 

 School Mines of Columbia College. Up to the present time 

 twenty-seven species have been discovered, most-of them pre- 

 viously described by Professor Cope, although some of them 

 are new species, announced now for the first time. 



It would appear from Professor Cope's statement that no 

 true reptiles have yet been obtained in the coal measures, all 

 of them belonging unmistakably to the Batrachia, although 

 species were met with closely resembling serpents, lizards, 

 and crocodiles. Proe. Am. Phil. Soc. 



DISAPPEARANCE OP WISCONSIN ANIMALS. 



Dr. Hoy, in a paper before the Wisconsin Academy of Sci- 

 ences, Arts, and Letters, remarks, in reference to the mammals 

 of Wisconsin, that the elk existed in that state as late as 1863, 

 but is now probably extinct. The moose is still found in con- 

 siderable numbers. The last buffalo was killed in 1832. An- 

 telope were also found in Wisconsin in the time of Father 

 Hennepin, although now, of course, driven far to the west. 

 Most of the wild animals are diminishing very rapidly in 

 number, the panther and deer being almost exterminated. 

 The otter and beaver, however, are very persistent. The last 

 wild turkey was killed in 1846 near Racine. Bull. Wise. JVicit. 

 Iist.JSoc. i lsn,Q2. 



DARWIN'S " ORIGIN OF SPECIES." 



It is understood that Mr. Darwin is now preparing a new 

 edition of his " Origin of Species," in which he will answer 

 the objections of weight which have been urged against the 

 theory of natural selection. 



FOSSIL IVORY IN ALASKA. 



The San Francisco papers are calling attention to specimens 

 of fossil ivory brought from Alaska, and parties are said to 

 be about entering upon the business of collecting it on a large 

 scale. This ivory consists of the tusks of the mammoth or 

 fossil elephant (Elephas primi genius), the remains of which 

 are extremely abundant in Alaska, but much more so in Si- 

 beria, from which latter country, as is well known, an appre- 

 ciable percentage of all the ivory now used in the arts is ob- 

 tained. 



