A. X. KRASSNOF — TIIK RUSSIAN " BLACK EARTH." 81 



the upper Coal Measures. Westwardly, in Kansas, the " black so ; l>" rest upon the 

 rocks of the upper Coal Measures. Limestones generally prevail in these regions, 

 being rather scarce, however, in the part of Illinois above named, as well as in 

 Saline county, .Missouri. 1 have been disposed to ascribe the origin of these soils 

 in a large measure to disintegration of calcareous beds. The areas in which these 

 soils prevail are also chiefly confined to the prairie regions and not to those areas 

 where trees seem to have always existed. They seem peculiar to treeless regions, 

 but may extend a little way into the adjoining woodland. 



Remarks were made also by A. S. Tiffany, T. C. Chamberlm, Robert 

 I lav. and the author. 



The following paper was read in the French language, and afterward 

 a resume was given in English by Professor Stefan Sihleano : 



<)X THE EXISTENCE OF THE DINOTHERIUM IN ROUMANIA. 

 1!V PROFESSOR GREGOIRE STEFANESCU, of THE UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST, ROUMANIA. 



I take the liberty of claiming, for some moments, your attention on a question in 

 which most of you will he interested, as it occurs for the first time in our science : 

 namely, the existence of the Dinotherium in Roumania. 



Some rears ago the geology of Roumania was almost entirely unknown — I say 

 almost, because, although we had some vague notions and brief descriptions of cer- 

 tain isolated regions, theories were generally founded on deductions drawn from 

 the geological structure of the neighboring countries, or upon superficial notes given 

 by foreign travelers who had more or less rapidly run through Roumania. 



The geology of this country figures also in Dumont's geological map of Europe, 

 but neither the enumeration of the geological systems nor their respective limits 

 are generally accordant with facts, as we can easily understand, since all Dumont's 

 materials had no other origin than that which I spoke of above. We have now. 

 by the work of some Roumanian geologists, and especially after the studies made 

 by the Roumanian geological survey, more complete and exact knowledge of the 

 geology of that country. 



But it is not my intention to occupy you with the geological systems and with 

 their extension into Roumania. You will be able to form an idea of them by throw- 

 ing a glance on the twenty-four sheets of the geological map of Roumania published 

 by our geological survey, which contain about the half of all the country, and which 

 1 have sent to the secretary of the Geological Society of America. You may ex- 

 amine also the small geological map of the whole of Roumania thai I published last 

 year, and which I now have t he honor to present to the members of this learned 

 body. As you may see, the Tertiary and Quaternary systems are much developed 

 and extended in Roumania, and many fossil remains of the larger mammalia have 

 been found there, viz., rhinoceros, mastodon. t\rr\\ gazelle, antelope, ox, elephant 

 (especially Elephas meridionalis, E. anti quits and /•.'. primigenius), camel and, lately, 

 t he Dinotherium. 



I received in L878 a fossil molar tooth found at Gaiceana, in the judet (districl of 

 Tecuciu. It was the last bill one molar of a Dinotherium, but it was-so large that 



\l B eoi„ Soi , Am., Vol 3. 1891 



