Mineralogy and Geology. 437 
Hygrocrocis Erebi. These plants are beyond a doubt merely minute 
fungi or moulds which have developed themselves in the damp bottles 
at es expense of the sizing of the paper in which the soundings were 
, or of the organic matters contained in the mud, In one of 
' bottles of similar materials these plants have developed into con- 
‘picuous patches of mould with tufts of spores, and we have oes no 
doubt that the minute peony in these soundings which we on ook 
for the ova of Polythalamia (see Smithsonian see tong - yan 
edge, ii, 13) are merely the spores of these Fungi. 
The text so far as published is full of detailed and interesting accounts 
of foreign localities of microscopic beings of freshwater origin, and the 
plates promise a rich treat when the text for the remaining portion shall 
be completed. Our own country is largely represented by figures of 
fossils ‘i numerous localities, but the text relating to them is not yet 
Bublieh 
excellent as far as = go; but are at fault in some res ects in conse- 
quence of the use of too Jow a magnifying power, and the frequent 
reference to apertures where none exist. We think too that some, but 
by no means all, of the changes, suggested by recent writers on these 
minute bodies, are worthy of adoption. When the portion of the text 
which refers to North America reaches us, we propose to make extracts 
for this Journal of the most interesting portions. In the mean time, we 
commend this volume to all lovers of the microscope, and of geology, 
as a rich mine of carefully arranged facts, presenting in one connected 
Series the proof oe the vast influence of microscopic life nenenets 
air, earth, and oc . W. B. 
ip Ranioeation: *; the Red River of parmnned in the year 1852 by 
Ranpourn B. Marcy, Captain Fifth Infantry U. S. pein assisted by 
Grorce B, M’CiEuLan, Brevet Captain U. Ss. Engine 286 pp., 8vo, 
with numerous plates. Washington, 1854.—This is a each Report, 
pe in its napeeiine “pat which gives details of the country, and 
ne regions, and are intersected by quartz veins and dykes of 
gfeenstone. ‘They are the nla high mountains in the Red River Ree 
gh Dr. Shumard, in his Geological aa an account 
€stern 
the direction of Fons Seen 100 miles, with an average breadth of 
50 miles. The beds correspond to the upper part of the Europ@an 
chalk. They are seen fall of fossils, and at Fort Washita, ammonites 
Were observed three oak in diameter.--Beyond the Witchita mouniains, 
there were ranges of high bluffs which resembled fortifications i rine their 
blue 
€ven height and regularity ; they consisted of layers of red a 
clay thickly eaenwinennah ppow-white.gypeum. Some masses of 
Sypsum at their base were 10 feet in diameter. On the Red River, 
