380 RevicH-s — Climate in the Devonian. 



by the Department of Mines, Canada (No. 16e, 1911). In Nova 

 Scotia tiie Pre-Cambrian, Silurian, Devonian, and Triassic formations 

 yield no materials of great value to the clay-worker, but a sliort 

 account is given of a felsite quarry in the Pre-Cambrian, the material 

 being locally called 'fire-clay'. From this rock, when crushed and 

 mixed with clay, hard bricks can be manufactured. The important 

 clay-bearing formations are the Lower Carboniferous, Coal-measures 

 and Pleistocene, and some clays that may be of Cretaceous age. 

 In New Brunswick the clay-bearing formations include Lower 

 Carboniferous, Coal-measures, Permian, and Pleistocene. The various 

 clay-works in both provinces 'are described, with notes of methods 

 of testing the bricks. The concluding portion of the memoir contains 

 a general account of the origin and properties of clay. Numerous 

 illustrations of strata and brick-works are given. 



VII. — Were there Climatic Zones in Devonian Time ? Ey G. F. 

 Matthew, D.Sc, LL.D. Trans. Roy. Soc. Canada, ser. iii, vol. v, 

 sect, iv, p. 125. 



THE views of the Marquis de Saporta and other naturalists who 

 have dealt with early climates of the earth, that there was an 

 entire uniformity of climate in the Carboniferous and preceding ages, 

 is controverted in this paper. The writer agrees with Naumayr and 

 others that there was considerable diversity in these ancient climates. 

 He sets forth the view that the Devonian plants which we know best 

 are those of a northern range of basins. The genera Cyclopteris 

 {Archceopteris) and Lepidodendron (with small areoles) are character- 

 istic of this horizon, and are found both in Europe and America. 

 Several areas where these plants are known are the hill region of 

 Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania, the region of Uaspe, 

 and the Eestigoudu. Areas in Europe belonging to this northern range 

 are the Devonian of Great Britain and of Belgium, and the Upper 

 Devonian of Bear Island in the Arctic Sea. These are contrasted with 

 the southern range which is developed in the south-eastern part of 

 Canada ; the floras here differ from those of the northern range, and 

 more nearly resemble those of the ' Culm ' and the Coal-measures. 

 Three principal groupings of plants are recognized in the Upper 

 Devonian beds of this southern district ; they are that of the Perry 

 Beds, which have always been regarded as Devonian, that of Kenebe- 

 casis and Horton, which Sir William Dawson called Lower Coal- 

 measures, and those of Riverside, etc., in Nova Scotia and Quaco in 

 New Brunswick, which are more like the plants of the Coal-measures. 



VIII. — Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 



Variscite found crystallized in nodules and in irregular masses 

 of brecciated chert near Lucin, Utah, has been examined in detail 

 by Dr. Waldemar T. Schaller, who presents some interesting results 

 in No. 1867 of the Proceedings (vol. xli, pp. 413-30, pi. xxxiii). 

 Aggregates of deep-green tabular orthorhombic crystals occur, some 

 measuring a millimetre in length. Upon heating the crystals change 

 in colour to lavender, and their pleocliruism, which before was weak. 



