24 The Ottawa Naturalist. 



NOTES, REVIEWS AND COMMENTS. 



GeOLOGV. — Sununary Report of the Geological Survey of 

 Canada, by Dr. G. M. Dawson, C.M.G., Director, Ottawa, 

 March, 1896. 



This report, just issued, contains many features of great 

 interest to the general public, as well as to those more par- 

 ticularly engaged in mining enterprises, and in scientific work 

 generally. It treats of the work of the whole staff for the year 

 1895, and shows that the scope of the Survey's work is still as 

 comprehensive as in former years. 



The operations of the field staff extended from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific, and included another expedition into the interior 

 of Labrador Peninsula in order to complete certain lines of 

 investigation necessarily left unfinished from Mr. Low's former 

 explorations of that area. 



All the provinces were included in the Survey's operations 

 with the exception of New Brunswick, the distribution of the 

 parties being determined, as far as possible, in accordance with 

 the importance of the work to be done. 



In British Columbia two parties, under the leadership of 

 Messrs. McConnell and McEvoy were engaged ; the former 

 more particularly in the Kootenay District, where much atten- 

 tion was devoted to the study and mapping of the rich mineral 

 bearing zones, while the latter was engaged in the study of the 

 country in the vicinity of Shuswap Lakes and south-eastward. 



East of the Rocky Mountains the boring operations now 

 being carried on in the Athabasca River district, to determine 

 the value of the great petroleum basin which evidently exists 

 in that part of the North- West, were continued, but the oil- 

 bearing horizon was not reached, owing to the great difficulty 

 encountered from soft strata in prosecuting the drilling. There 

 is, however, a prospect that this important investigation will 

 soon reach a successful issue. The chief work on the plains w^as 

 carried out by Prof Macoun, more particularly near the southern 

 border, and was confined largely to the study of the plant and 



