viii Letter of Transmittal. 



hour of laborious research through many volumes and trans- 

 actions of learned societies. 



The catalogue has been arranged under different heads, such 

 as State geological reports, transactions of learned societies, 

 etc., which will give the student a direct reference to the con- 

 tents of different publications. 



The palaeontology of California differs greatly from that of 

 the Atlantic States in the existence of an extensive bed of the 

 Tertiary formation, with but few of the older formations, indi- 

 cating that the elevation of the Pacific Coast was chiefly made 

 since the Mesozoic age, and a great part of it as late as the 

 Quaternary. Nearly all the coast ranges and the low foothills 

 of the Sierra Nevada are covered with thick beds which contain 

 fossils identical with living species, with others extinct along 

 the Californian shores, but living farther to the north or south. 



To make a complete catalogue, works on recent conchology of 

 the Pacific Coast should be included, but the author has deemed 

 it best to omit the most of them. 



Part IV of the catalogue contains an alphabetical list of 

 miscellaneous publications. Many of them are references to 

 early reports on gold and other minerals, including trips to the 

 gold fields of California. All of these are not strictly geolog- 

 ical reports, but now and then they contain valuable references 

 to local geology. The author regrets that he has been unable 

 to give many notes in this part, most of the works being inac- 

 cessible. 



ANTHONY W. VOCIDES. 



4 



Fort Mason, San Francisco, CaL, September 1, 1896. 



