﻿244 Scientific Intelligence. 



under the bead of Surface Geology. The subject of minerals and 

 rocks is next treated with some detail, and then that of sedi- 

 mentary erosion, stratification, geological maps, volcanoes, mount- 

 ains and mountain formation, veins and ores, and the characters 

 of some common fossils. After thus giving the learner some of 

 the general facts of the science, Part II follows, with the title, 

 Systematic Studies. Under it, the chapters treat in succession of 

 lithological, structural, dynamical, paleontological, formational 

 and historical geology. The illustrations of the volume are 

 excellent. 



13. Glacial action in Australia. — Mr. J. Stirling reported 

 before the Linnrean Society of N. S. Wales, in May, that during 

 a recent visit to Mount Bogong, the highest mountain in Victoria 

 (South Australia) he found erratics, perched blocks, smoothed 

 surfaces and old moraines, affording fresh evidence in favor of 

 glacial action. 



14. Analysis of Biotite by Edo Claassen (communicated). 

 — The biotite, which is found intimately associated with the 

 magnetite of the Lake Superior Iron Region, occurs compact 

 massive or as an aggregate of small scales. It is dark olive- 

 green or greenish black in color, and has a specific gravity of 2*7. 

 It is easily decomposed by hot hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, 

 leaving the silica in scales. An analysis yielded : 



Si0 2 A1 2 3 Fe 2 3 FeO MnO MgO K 2 Ti0 2 H 2 CI undecomposed 

 32-02 20-38 7-15 18-36 0'45 7-84 5-91 2'38 2-71 0-02 0-99 = 98'21 



III. Botany. 



1. LloycVs Drugs and Medicines of North America. — This 

 great repertory of the materia medica and pharmacy of the flora 

 of North America has now promptly entered upon its second 

 volume, in its June number, devoted to Uriodendron and some 

 of the species of Magnolia. Eighteen pages and one fine plate 

 are given to the tulip-tree. a. g. 



2. Cypripedium arietinimi in the mountains of China is a no- 

 table addition to an already very considerable list of disjoined 

 species, divided between Eastern North America and Eastern 

 Asia, with prolongation in the Himalayas. It is M. Eranchet 

 who announces this instance in Bull. Soc. Bot. de France, vol. 

 xxxiii, p. 206. Almost as unexpected as the instance itself is M. 

 Franchet's accompanying announcement of it as a wholly unpar- 

 alleled case of such distribution. Not to mention the recently 

 accrued instance of Uriodendron, there is the very old one of 

 Phryma, and a good many more of the same character. a. g. 



3. Index to the Botanical Gazette. — Along with the July 

 number of this periodical we receive the index to volumes i to x 

 (1875-1885), filling 29 pages. It is a triple index, viz : of sub- 

 jects, of authors of articles, and of illustrations. It is not issued 

 as a part of the July number, which is a full one of 36 pages, and 

 is therefore a free gift of the editors and publishers, Professors 

 Coulter, Arthur and Barnes. The improvement of this useful 



