356 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XVII. No. 426. 



often roughened with ungraded ledges or half 

 barred with the fans of lateral torrents, and 

 the fall rises to sixteen feet a mile. All 

 these features point to a relatively recent de- 

 formation of the country, in consequence of 

 which the river has aggraded the depressed 

 basins and trenched the uplifted ranges. It 

 is noted that only the smaller side streams 

 cascade into the caiion; the larger ones have 

 cut down their lateral ravines to grade with 

 the main river. The analogy of the Eu- 

 phrates and the Colorado in this respect is 

 pointed out. The stationary condition of the 

 native population is remarkable; the naviga- 

 tion of the river is still in the most primitive 

 condition ; an altar was seen ' covered with 

 the gore of the scores of sheep and goats, 

 which are brought as sacrifices by both Chris- 

 tians and Mohammedans ' ; irrigation is very 

 poorly developed. The people could not un- 

 derstand the motive of the ' men with hats ' 

 in making so venturesome a journey down 

 the river. A characteristic comment was : 

 " They say they are not paid for making this 

 journey, but we know better. * * * They know 

 everything; they see a stone or a plant, a 

 brook or a mountain, and they know it. * * * 

 They write everything." A more general 

 article by the same author, on ' The Valley 

 of the Upper Euphrates Eiver and its People,' 

 has lately appeared in the Bulletin of the 

 American Geographical Society. 



W. M. Davis. 



REGENT ZOOPALEONTOLOGY. 

 AGE OP THE TYPICAL JUDITH RIVER BEDS. 



Eeferring to the recent communication of 

 Mr. J. B. Hatcher and Professor S. W. Wil- 

 liston, on the subject of the age of the Judith 

 River Beds, Mr. Hatcher remarks: 'I do not 

 know upon what authority Professor Osborn 

 makes this unqualified statement as to the 

 deposits underlying the Judith Eiver Beds.' 

 I would say that the authorities for the Upper 

 Cretaceous (and hence overlying) position of 

 the Judith Eiver Beds are partly cited in my 

 recent memoir on ' The Vertebrata of the 

 Mid-Cretaceous of the Northwest Territory,' 

 namely. Cope (' Geology of the Judith River 

 Basin,' 1876-Y) and Cross ('Geology of the 



Denver Basin'). In his Cretaceous Correla- 

 tion papers (U. S. Geol. Surv., 1891) C. A. 

 White clearly refers the Judith River Beds 

 to the Upper Cretaceous (pp. 145, 147) ; 

 furthermore, the references which he makes 

 to the Mid-Cretaceous Belly Eiver deposits 

 do not include any allusion to the typical 

 Judith Eiver, and distinctly state (p. 166) 

 that the equivalent of these Belly River is 

 not recognized in Montana. I thought I had, 

 therefore, abundant authority for the state- 

 ment, ' among geologists of the United States 

 there has never been any question as to the 

 Laramie or Upper Cretaceous age of the 

 typical Judith River Beds.' I had received 

 from Mr. Hatcher, but unfortunately had 

 quite overlooked, his paper in which the Mid- 

 Cretaceous age of the Judith "River was first 

 suggested. Otherwise due acknowledgment 

 would have been made. In the last edition 

 of his ' Geology,' published in 1895, and after' 

 complete review of the literature, Dana refers 

 to the Judith River Beds as Upper Cretaceous, 

 equivalent to the Laramie. It would be diffi- 

 cult to find higher authorities than these, and 

 it is impossible, in the preparation of a me- 

 moir, to trace back every single statement to 

 its original source; we must accept some 

 authority, otherwise every statement requires 

 a prolonged piece of original investigation. 



Mr. Hatcher has done decided service in 

 calling attention to the fact that in the 

 original description of the typical locality 

 Meek and Hayden left the actual relation of 

 the Judith River Beds undetermined. Natu- 

 rally it is this typical locality to which we 

 must turn. It is, therefore, in view also of 

 Professor Williston's communication, of the 

 utmost importance that the vertebrate hori- 

 zons of the Cretaceous should be thoroughly 

 restudied. All critical notices and observa- 

 tions on this important geological problem are 

 most welcome. 



The following communication of this nature 

 has been received from Mr. Sternberg, under 

 date of December 11 : 



"I have been reading in Science Mr. J. B. 

 Hatcher's correction of your statement in re- 

 gard to the Eort Pierre and Fox Hills Groups, 

 underlying the ' true Judith Eiver Beds,' and 



