PALAEONTOLOGY. 399 



Pacific Coast collections, by reason of the limited material and inadequacy 

 of the specimens for study of the whole plant. In order to give paleobotany 

 the same opportunity for interpretation of periods on the earth in the past 

 as is possible through the history of animal forms, we must be able to discuss 

 the relations of the plant, including stem, leaves, flowers, and fruit, as in the 

 case of botanical studies of the present day. 



The progress made in the course of the past year in the relation of palaeo- 

 botanical studies to other studies on the West Coast is very encouraging, and 

 there is reason to believe that we may be able to develop this phase of the 

 geological and biological problem in the historical sense to the extent that 

 new and significant interpretations may be put upon much of the historical 

 data heretofore difficult to understand. 



Mr. Remington Kellogg, who has cooperated with us in the study of extinct 

 marine mammals, has examined a considerable amount of new material from 

 the West Coast during the past year through the assistance of Mr. E. L. 

 Furlong and Dr. Chester Stock. At the same time, the U. S. National 

 Musuem has very kindly developed, for Mr. Kellogg's use, large collections of 

 fossil marine mammals from the Atlantic Coast. This study includes both 

 the whale and seal groups and has led to a better understanding of the history 

 and evolution of both of these divisions from the West Coast of North America 

 than has heretofore been possible. Through Mr. Kellogg's synchronous study 

 of the forms from both East and West Coast, he has made greater progress 

 in understanding these faunas than would have been possible with the investi- 

 gation of one fauna alone. His contribution of three important papers on 

 this subject during the past year, with three others accepted for publication 

 and three important studies in progress, makes a noteworthy advance in this 

 field of the study. 



Mr. E. L. Furlong has cooperated with Dr. Stock, Mr. Kellogg, Dr. Chaney, 

 Dr. Miller, and Mr. Merriam in the arrangement and organization of collec- 

 tions in the Museum of Palaeontology at the University of California. He 

 has carried on field work in the asphalt deposits at McKittrick, California, 

 in the marine deposits containing mammals of the seal and whale groups, 

 and in the formations containing fossil plants and fossil mammals in eastern 

 California and the Great Basin region. The assistance of Mr. Furlong, 

 together with that of Dr. B. L. Clark, Director of the Museum of Palaeontology 

 of the University of California, has helped to advance studies which other- 

 wise could not have been accomplished. 



Dr. Chester Stock has continued his work on the fossil faunas obtained from 

 the Pleistocene asphalt deposits of Rancho La Brea and McKittrick and has 

 also undertaken field work in the deposits belonging to the western border of 

 the Great Basin region. Rapid progress has been made in this work and the 

 result of many years' study on the ground-sloth group are presented for pub- 

 lication by Dr. Stock in the form of a monograph of exceptional interest and 

 importance. Dr. Stock has also cared for the preliminary measurements in 

 correlation of the details of comparison involved in the studies of Mr. Merriam 

 on the groups of Carnivora in the Rancho La Brea fauna and has joined with 

 Mr. Merriam in the preparation of a paper on the fossil bears of the Pacific 

 Coast region. Dr. Stock has now in preparation a monograph on one of the 

 groups of hoofed animals from the Rancho La Brea fauna. 



