24 



■GIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XI. No. 262. 



tion in completing the monographs wliich 

 were in preparation by Professor Marsh at 

 the time of his death. 



The addition of this immense collection 

 of most important American fossil remains 

 to the treasures already assembled in the 

 National Museum will, I am sure, afford 

 the greatest satisfaction to all workers in 

 the field of paleontology both at home and 

 abroad, and you will permit me to add a 

 personal word in appreciation of your untir- 

 ing efforts to facilitate in every way possible 

 the great task connected with the removal 

 of the collection from New Haven to Wash- 

 ington. 



During the coming year I expect to have 

 two preparators engaged in working out of 

 the matrix specimens still uncleaned, and 

 confidently hope that it may be possible in 

 a few years to have the entire collection 

 made available for study and a selected 

 series for public exhibition. From this lat- 

 ter series the public will be able to form a 

 correct idea as to the number, variety and 

 great size of these wonderful extinct creat- 

 ures of the western country, and will un- 

 doubtedly be impressed with the extent and 

 importance of the work of the paleontolog- 

 ieal divisions of the Geological Survey and 

 the marvelous industry and intelligence dis" 

 played by Professor Marsh in bringing to- 

 gether this great collection. 

 Yours respectfully, 

 (Signed) S. P. Langley, 



Secretary. 

 The Honorable Charles D. Walcott, 



DiHKCioE United States Geological Suevey, 

 Washington, D. C. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS. 



On the Building and Ornamental Stones of Wiscon- 

 sin. By E. R. Buckley, Ph.D. Bull. No. 

 IV. Economic Series No. 2. Wisconsin Geo- 

 logical and Natural History Survey. 189S. 

 The first attempt at a systematic investigation 



of the building stones of the United States was 



undertaken by Dr. G. W. Hawes under the 

 auspices of the 10th Census. With the untimely 

 death of Dr. Hawes the completion of the work 

 fell into the hands of others, none of whom 

 were experienced and some of whom had re- 

 ceived no training such as should fit them for 

 special investigations of this nature. Under 

 such conditions it is not strange that the printed 

 volume* should have been somewhat disap- 

 pointing. Nevertheless it furnished a begin- 

 ning and at least served to show what was not 

 known on the subject. 



This was followed in 1887 by Merrill's Hand- 

 book of the Collections of Building and Orna- 

 mental Stones in the United States National 

 Museum,! which was based upon the Census 

 Collections ; and later by Stones for Building 

 and Decoration (Wiley & Sons, New York), 

 the first edition of which appeared in 1891 and 

 the last in 1897. The above constitute the only 

 comprehensive systematic treatises compiled 

 with reference to the United States that have 

 thus far appeared. 



Several excellent special and local reports 

 have, however, been made, among which should 

 be mentioned Winchell's report on the build- 

 ing stone of Minnesota,! and the reports of 

 Smock on those of New York ; § Williams on 

 the Syenites of Arkansas ; || Hopkins on the 

 Marbles of Arkansas, ^ the Brownstones of 

 Pennsylvania, ** and the Carboniferous Sand- 

 stones of Western Indiana ; f f Macallie on the 

 Marbles of Georgia ; H H. F. Bain on the 



* Special Report on Petroleum, Coke and Building 

 Stone, Vol. X., Rept. 10th Census, 1884. 



t Rep. TJ. S. National Mnseum, 1886, pp. 275-648. 



JVol. I., Final Report on the Geoloijy and Nat- 

 ural History of Minnesota, 1884, pp. 142-194. 



?i Bulls. No. 3, New York State Museum, 1888, and 

 Vol. III., No. 10, 1890. 



II Ann. Rep. Geological Survey of Arkansas, 1890, 

 Vol. II. 



^ Ann. Rep. Geological Survey of Arkansas, Vol. 

 IV., 1890 (1893). 



**The Building Materials of Pennsylvania, I. 

 Brownstones, Appendix to Ann. Rep. of the Penna. 

 State College for 1896, pp. 122. 



ft 20 Ann. Rep. Dept. of Geology and Natural Re- 

 Bonroes of Indiana, 1896, pp. 186-325. 



JtBull. No. 1, of the Geol. Survey of Georgia, 90 

 pp. 1894. 



