Geographic Notes 



407 



extensive scientific collections, which 

 will be presented on their return to the 

 museums of London and New York. 



The party of French engineers sent 

 out at the request of the Bohemian 

 government are also actively engaged 

 in making a triangulation that will en- 

 able a complete survey of the country 

 to be made. 



The Division of Mining and Mineral 

 Resources of the U. S. Geological Sur- 

 vey has published a chart showing the 

 mineral products of the United States 

 during the calendar years 1 891-1900. 

 The chart, compiled under the super- 

 vision of Dr. David T. Day, is published 

 in advance of the annual report of the 

 Survey for 1900, which will soon be 

 ready for distribution. During 1 900 the 

 value of the mineral products of the 

 country for the first time exceeded one 

 billion dollars, reaching $1,070,108,889. 

 More than half of this amount, or 

 $552,418,627, consisted of metallic prod- 

 ucts, and $516,690,262 of non-metallic 

 products, while about one million dol- 

 lars is unspecified. Pig-iron formed 

 about one-quarter of the value of the 

 mineral products of the year, amount- 

 ing to $259,944,000. Then followed 

 bituminous coal, with a value of $221, 

 133,513; copper, $98,494,039; Pennsyl- 

 vania anthracite, $85,757,851. The 

 value of the gold products exceeded 

 that of the petroleum by over three 

 million dollars — $79,322,281 as against 

 $75-752,691. Silver followed next, with 

 $77,070,461. Our mineral products 

 have doubled since 1887 and trebled 

 since 1880. 



Oscar Neumann^ the eminent German 

 explorer, has reached Khartum after a 

 year and a half journeying in Central 

 East Africa, more particularly in South- 

 western Abyssinia. With Baron Erlan- 

 ger and several companions, he left Zeila 

 in January, 1900. The movements of 

 the Mad Mullah prevented them from 



going far into Eastern Somaliland, so 

 the}^ turned westward and visited the 

 holy towns of Sheikh Hussein and the 

 holy mountains of Abulnass and Abul- 

 cassim. Later they traveled to the cap- 

 ital, Addis Abeba,by a new route. Leav- 

 ing this town in November, thej^ pro- 

 ceeded to Lake Stefanie, carefully map- 

 ping much new country. Their most 

 important work was in the southwestern 

 provinces of Abyssinia and in the British 

 territory to the west around Lobat. The 

 hardships of travel had reduced them to 

 serious straits, when they fortunately 

 came upon a steamer carrying Slatin 

 Pasha and Bluett Bey, who took them 

 to Khartum. 



The publication of the results of Herr 

 Neumann's journey will be awaited with 

 much interest, as almost nothing is 

 known of large sections of the country 

 he traversed. It is reported by telegram 

 that he has brought back the largest 

 zoological collection ever mad-e in Cen- 

 tral Africa. 



Geological Explorations Near Athens. — 



The British Museum during the past 

 summer has obtained some important 

 fossils of Tertiary animals at Pikermi, 

 near the Marathon Road, about 12 miles 

 from Athens. The specimens were 

 found at a considerable depth below the 

 bed of a mountain torrent, and were so 

 jammed together that evidently the ani- 

 mals were buried alive, probably by 

 torrential action. About 50 years ago 

 Dr. Albert Gaudry, in this locality, ob- 

 tained a great number of fossils for the 

 Paris Museum. Since then the Vienna 

 Academy has made a smaller collection ; 

 but until the present year the British 

 Museum had sent no expedition to this 

 field. Among the principal finds were 

 numerous bones of Hipparion, the three- 

 toed predecessor of the horse ; Hellado- 

 thermm, a short-necked giraffe allied to 

 the Okapi, the new mammal recently 

 discovered by Sir Harry Johnston in 

 the forests of the Kongo State ; several 



