﻿328 Canadian Record of Science. 



country south of the glacial limit, lakes are almost entirely absent. 

 The " Finger Lakes" of the central part of New York probably belong 

 to this class. 



Lakes due to volcanic action, although by no means so numerous, 

 have an especial interest. Of these perhaps Crater Lake, in North- 

 Western Oregon, which has been described by Dutton and more 

 recently by Diller, is the most remarkable, and is situated 30 miles 

 north of Klamath Lake at an elevation of over 6,000 feet above 

 sea level. It is six miles in diameter, and is surrounded by precipitous 

 cliffs, rising from 900 to 2,200 feet above the lake and plunging 

 down into the deep water of the lake without leaving even a margin 

 wide enough to walk upon. This is also the deepest lake in North 

 America, the sounding line striking bottom at 2,000 feet. The lake 

 marks the site of an old volcano, whose summit was either blown 

 away by a mighty series of explosions like those which blew 5,000 feet 

 from the summit of Krakatoa some few years since, or else the 

 mountain was melted from within, its summit sinking down into the 

 gulf, giving rise to the depression now partially filled by the placid 

 and mysterious waters. 



Lakes, like all other things in nature, have their life history. Their 

 period of birth, youth, maturity, decadence and old age leading 

 to extinction. The tracing out of such histories is one of the most 

 fascinating tasks of the geologist, and the last chapter, in which the 

 histories of several of the great lakes of North America are given, 

 is perhaps the most interesting in the book, and will serve to 

 bring clearly before the general reader the great changes which hare 

 passed over the face of the continent in comparatively recent times. 



Mr. Russell's book, while not containing very much new matter, is 

 interesting and well written, and affords a valuable addition to 



our literature. 



Frank D. Adams. 

 McGill University. 



Summary Report of the Geological Survey Department for 

 THE Year 1896. 



Not the least interesting or instructive of the many valuable 

 volumes issued by, this important branch of the Civil Service of 

 Canada is the summary report of its proceedings, which is presented 

 by the Director at the close of each year. This gives a brief but 

 comprehensive account of the work of all divisions of the Geological 

 Survey, not only of the explorations and discoveries made, but also of 

 the work done in the chemical and petrographical laboratories, the 

 publications and their distribution, and the important questions of 

 the care of the museum and the financial statement of the Department. 



The present report, which has recently appeared, contains 144 pages, 

 and can be obtained from the Librarian of the Geological Survey 

 Department for the sum of 10 cents. 



