Reviews — Geology of the Transvaal, South Africa. 475 



Ganipsonyx and the American genus Acanthotelson a new suborder — 

 Simplicipoda. 



In a supplement, Dr. Anton Fritsch introduces the figure of a true 

 reptile, Naosaunis, which, like the American species from the Permian 

 of Texas, possessed lateral spines attached to the long neurapophyses 

 of the vertebral column. Amongst the new Stegocephalia is a very 

 fine skeleton of the remarkable genus Plyoniiis. 



It is not too much to say that during the past century no single 

 worker has produced a monograph on Palaeozoic palaeontology of 

 equal importance. We are glad to be able to record that the value 

 of Dr. Fritsch's labours has been recognized by the Council of the 

 Geological Society of London, who awarded him the Lyell 

 Geological Fund in 1881, on the issue of the author's first volume ; 

 whilst the Paris Academy presented Dr. Fritsch with the Cuvier 

 Prize on the completion of his great work. We feel sure that all 

 palaaontologists will rejoice to see the completion of this important 

 monograph, and will join with us in complimenting its author on 

 the successful termination of his arduous labours. 



II. — Geology op the South Afbioan Republic of the Trans- 

 vaal. By G. A. F. MoLENGRAAF. Bull. Soc. Geol. de France 

 (4), 1901, i, pp. 13-92, 19 text-figures and 2 plates. PI. i: 

 Geological Sketch at 1 : 1,500,000. PL ii : Geological Sections. 



THE geological researches in the Transvaal are considerably 

 favoured by the dry and mild climate and the scarce vegetation. 

 as well as by the simplicity of the structure of the country. The 

 greatest drawback is the absence of determinable fossils in the 

 sedimentary formations, with the exception of the Upper Karroo. 

 The geological map must therefore be considered as a mere diagram- 

 matical sketch. 



Viewed in the abstract, after passing the Jurassic, Cretaceous, and 

 more recent formations near the littoral, the chief rocks of the 

 Transvaal are as follows, in descending order: — 

 III. The Karroo System. 

 II. The Cape System. 

 I. The Primary South African System. 

 This classification had already been adopted by Bain for the Cape 

 Colony and by Schenk for the whole of South Africa. 



I. Primaky South African System. 



The Primary South African System is composed of stratified 

 deposits associated with numerous intrusive massifs of granite ; the 

 structure of the former has been subjected to contact-metamorphism 

 produced by the intrusion of the latter. 



The gold-mines are chiefly in the Primary System and in the 

 neighbourhood of Barberton ; the series of the famous Wit- 

 watersrand has been calculated by De Launay at 7,500 metres. 

 The gold is mostly found in the conglomerates, there being much 

 less in the quartzites. 



The age of the Primary South African system is unknown. In 

 the Cape Colony, however, an undoubtedly Devonian formation 



