528 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 



a few, or in some cases a single specimen of the following were found : Hyalina 

 arborea, Say, Macrocyclos concava, Say, Helix alternata, Say, H. infleaa, Say, H. 

 labyrinthica, Say, Bulimulus dealbatus, Say, Pupa armifera, Say, Zonites fuliginosa, 

 Griff., Succinea — , and Helicina orbiculata, Say. A small variety of Helix 

 fallax, Say, was not uncommon, which was about half the size of the typical shell. 

 I found a few albino specimens of it. On the cHffs of White River, Helix roemeri, 

 Pfeiffer, was obtained in small numbers. 



There may be a few other species, but the total, not including the Unios, is 

 not far from thirty-five, a number much smaller than is found in many localities, 

 but places in the north or east will not give as many desirable additions to the 

 average collection, nor furnish as many opportunities for studying local varia- 

 tions of species, as this will. 



FLOATING STONES. 



BY CHAS. H. STERNBERG. 



I was much interested in Mr. Hanks' article on *' Diatoms" in the Novem- 

 ber number of the Review; especially the item on bricks that float. I once discov- 

 ered a stratum of light-colored chalky clay stone, twenty feet thick, filled with the 

 impressions of the dicotyledonous leaves, seeds and fish bones. I noticed that 

 it was very light and, an object in the river attracting my attention, I threw apiece 

 of the stone at it, and saw it float down the river. 



Renewed experiments proved that there was no mistake; all the fragments, 

 small or large, thrown into the river floated off like pieces of wood. Did not the 

 ancients, perhaps, learn the art of making floating bricks from such deposits as I 

 have described ? This formation is on the John Day River, eastern Oregon, 

 twenty miles below Canon City. 



The distinguished Russian geologist. Prof. G. de Helmersen, has prepared' 

 an elaborate report upon the coal fields of Russia, from which it appears that 

 the annual output of coal in the empire, though larger than it has ever been be- 

 fore, is estimated at only about 3,000,000 tons. The discovery, however, that 

 the mines at Kamenskoe, which were only lately declared to be exhausted, are 

 in fact the starting point of a vast region rich in coal veins and traversed by/ 

 the Siberian Railway, is expected to produce very important results. 



