iqoi] Reviews. 173 



would seem incompetent to produce them as the writer adds, "it 

 seems therefore necessary," from the occurrence of strata of gravel 

 and pebbles in the loess, "to invoke both wind and water, in order 

 to fully explain the distribution of that formation." This loess, 

 over Eastern China, Prof. Wr)o;ht states was deposited "at a very 

 recent geoloi^ical date." 



" The period of the loess in China corresponds roughly with 

 that of the continental glaciers in Europe and North America.'' No 

 signs of glacial action were found in south-eastern Mongolia. 

 The Amur River is compared with the St. Lawrence, which it re- 

 sembles very much, besides being in nearly the same latitude. 

 Prof. Wright concludes "that there was no general glaciation of 

 the lower Amur Valley south of the 53rd parallel." The region 

 about Lake Baikal was also examined. It is surrounded by moun- 

 tains "rising from 3000 to 4000 feet above it, except at one narrow 

 depression through which the Angara River carries off its surplus 

 waters." Around Samarkand and west, evidence of a submergence 

 was present. Lake Balkash, 1000 feet above sea, and the Sea of 

 Aral have no outlets. The waters ol the former are said to be nearly 

 fresh, " those of the latter are only brackish." The saltness of 

 the Caspian Sea is only one-third that of the ocean. 



These and other associated phenomena observed furnish valu- 

 able data for the interpretation of the problems of post-Pliocene 

 geological movements in that part of the world. At Nebizond 

 on the Black Sea, Prof. Wright found direct evidence of the 

 great continental submergence. Regarding the discovery of stone 

 implements below the loess at a depth of 53 feet, the author re- 

 marks that "thus it appears that the continental submergence 

 which aided in the wide distribution of the loess was subsequent 

 to the appearance of man, and so another chapter is added to 

 those which connect the ancient history of the human race with 

 the more recent phases of the geological story." The author 

 thinks it likely that "the depression of the land in Asia was co- 

 incident with the elevation in America." 



H. M. Ami. 



