REVIEWS 66 1 



Methods and Costs oj Gravel and Placer Mining in Alaska. By 

 Chester Wells Purington. (U. S. Geological Survey, Bui. 

 letin No. 263, 1905.) Pp. 273, 42 plates, 49 figures, 30 tables- 



The American placer miner finds himself confronted with new condi- 

 tions when he goes to work in Alaska. The object of this report is to give 

 the most expeditious way of getting out and working the auriferous material. 

 One of the chief difficulties in working the material arises from its frozen 

 character. There are many methods in use now in Alaska, and these are 

 described in detail. The estimates of cost include not only labor, machin- 

 ery, and arrangements of water supply, but also freight transportation 

 and road-building. E. W. S. 



Tertiary Lignite of Brandon, Vermont, and its Fossils. By G. H. 

 Perkins. (Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, 

 Vol. XVI, pp. 499-516; plates 86-87; December, 1905.) 



No trace of animal life appears in this lignite, but there are abundant 

 plant remains. Exogenous trees are unusually well represented. Leaves, 

 fruits, and bark show many of them to belong to existing genera. The 

 age of the formation has not yet been determined. The author believes 

 it is Miocene. E. W. S. 



Sixth Annual Report of the Chief of the Mining Bureau (Philippine 

 Islands). By H. D. McCaskey, Chief of the Mining Bureau, 

 Manila, 1905. Pp. 66, 14 plates and map. 



This report treats of the work of the year and of the mineral resources 

 and mining conditions of the Philippines. American machinery and 

 methods have done much in the development of the mining industry. 

 The deposits are those of gold, copper, iron, and coal. E. W. S. 



On the Glaciation of Oxford and Sutton Mountains, Quebec. By 

 Alfred W. G. Wilson. (Extract from American Journal of 

 Science, Vol. XXI [March, 1906], pp. 196-205; 5 figures. 



The upward limit of glaciation in Eastern Quebec has been put as 

 low as 1,800 feet above sea-level by some writers. Mr Wilson finds that 

 the highest elevations of the region are glaciated. This puts the upward 

 limit at least as high as 2,820 feet. E. W. S. 



