Revieits — Bertrand 8f Zurcher — Central American Geologij. 419 



of Ostracoda, and three new genera from the rocks older than the 

 Paradoxides Beds but included in the Cambrian system. The author 

 claims that these forms differ in many respects from the species 

 of the Ordovician system, and have a unity of structure sufficient 

 to place them in a new family distinct from Leperditiidse, etc. 

 Many of the species have wide valves, more or less pointed on the 

 ventral margin ; most have long hinge-lines and an ocular tubercle. 

 The scar of the adductor muscle, in place of being near the middle 

 of the valve as in many Ordovician species, is close to the anterior 

 end of the cardinal line. Twenty-seven forms are described, 

 arranged as follows : — Leperditia (?), 1 species ; Bradorona 

 (subgen.), 3 species, 8 mutations, and 1 variety ; Bradoria, 3 species 

 and 1 doubtful, 1 mutation ; Escasona, 1 species and 2 doubtful ; 

 Indiana, 2 species and 1 mutation; Schmidtella (?), 2 species and 

 1 mutation. Two of these forms are found in the basal volcanic 

 terrane of Coldbrook ; the rest are distributed through 500 feet of 

 the Etcheminian terrane, occurring in twelve assises of that group 

 in company with various Brachiopods. Two plates accompany this 

 article in which are figured the various species and mutations 

 described. Outline figures are also given to show the more obvious 

 characters of the new genera. 



12- E "V I DB ^W S. 



I. Etode Geologique sur l'Isthme de Panama ; par MM. Marcel 

 Beetrand et Philippe Zurcher. II. Les phenomenes 



VOLOANIQUES ET LES TrEMBLEMENTS DE TeRRE DE l'AmeRIQUE 



central; par M. Marcel Bertkand. Quarto; pp. 38 in all, 

 with plans and sections ; published 1899. 



I. 



rpHE long-standing controversy between the advocates of the 

 JL Panama route and those of the Nicaragua route for the great 

 American interoceanic canal has apparently at the last moment 

 been decided in favour of the former. Apart from the struggles 

 of politicians this decision seems to be by far the most sensible, 

 since property which even in its present state is worth something 

 like £8,000,000 sterling must of necessity represent an asset of 

 considerable value. It would seem not altogether improbable that 

 the recent catastrophe in the Windward Islands has had its due 

 effect in impressing upon the politicians at Washington the possible 

 dangers of the Nicaragua route, which were so forcibly pointed out 

 by Professor Bertrand in these memoirs more than three years ago, 

 dangers foreseen by nearly all scientific men, and whose lessons just 

 at present are well burnt into the mind of the Transatlantic public. 



Since the time when the second great work of Mons. de Lesseps 

 was commenced a new generation has appeared upon the scene, but 

 it may not be without interest on the present occasion to quote 

 a portion of an article which appeared in Nature, August, 1885, 



