20 



In Sao Paulo, I studied the metamorphic I'ocks from 

 the Serra do Mar to the Serra do Mantiqueiro and be- 

 yond ; the deposits of trap furnishing the " terra roxa,'" 

 the rich land of the coffee region ; the beginning of the 

 Carboniferous basin in the south of Sao Paulo, containing 

 remains of Saurians ; and the '' sauilmquis'' of the vicin- 

 ity of the city of Santos. Mr. Wagoner's trip in Parana 

 was from Antonina, near the coast, to a point far into the 

 interior of the province, passing Guarapuava where coal 

 had been found. In the interior he discovered Palaeozoic 

 rocks with many fossils whose exact age has not yet 

 been determined. The genera of Brachiopods repre- 

 sented are Discina, Spirifera, Strophodonta, Streptorhyn- 

 chus, Leptocoelia (?), etc.; a small Ophiuran was very 

 abundant. To complete the scientific work done to the 

 south of Rio de Janeiro in connection with the Geological 

 Commission, we must add the scientific results of a trip 

 made by Mr. J. E. Mills to the gold regions of Rio 

 Grande do Sul, of which a report was kindl}^ furnished 

 Prof. Hartt. Mr. Mills also contributed a ver}- valuable 

 report on the gold regions of Minas Geraes. 



From July, 1876, to February, 1877, while the above 

 described explorations were in progress to the south 

 of Bahia, Mr. Derby was arriving at most important 

 results in the valley of the Amazonas, which region he 

 was well fitted to investigate, by reason of his former 

 experiences there. He was accompanied by Dr. F. J. de 

 Freitas and Mr. H. H. Smith, the latter of whom had 

 already spent two years on the Amazonas, in studying its 

 entomolog}' and the geology of several sections. The 

 most valuable, connected series of explorations by the 

 Commission were those executed by this small party. 

 They examined the Erere-Monte-Alegre district, the Rio 

 Mascuru, wholly unknown to science, and the Rios Curua 

 and Trombetas, making maps of the entire region. Mr. 

 Smith alone worked up minutely the district lying be- 

 tween Alenquer and the Msecuru, and reexamined the 

 Carboniferous of the lower Tapajos. There was demon- 

 strated to exist to the north of the Amazonas a large 



