68 Scientific Intelligence. 



Among the more important subjects discussed by the Congress 

 or represented in communicated papers, are the Report on Petro- 

 graphy and discussion associated ; the report of the international 

 committee on glaciers ; a paper by Sir Archibald Geikie, on 

 International cooperation in geologic investigation ; the estab- 

 lishment of a committee, upon the suggestion of Dr. P.-CEhlert 

 for devising means for the publication of paleontologic types and 

 original descriptions of fossils ; a paper on bases of geologic 

 classification by Prof. T. C. Chamberlin ; a large number (76) 

 of important papers on geology — and the Lexique Petrographique 

 of F. Loewinson-Lessing, occupying the last 300 pages of the 

 second volume. 



C. D. Walcott presented a paper on pre-Cambrian fossiliferous 

 rocks. H. F. Osborn one on methods of precision in the study 

 of fossil vertebrates, in which is given a Tableau des horizons 

 stratigraphiques^ typiques et des horizons homotaxiques de 

 l'Europe et des Etats-unis. 



The discussion of the Report of the Committee on Stratigraphy 

 led to the approval of the proposition to adopt for international 

 nomenclature the prefexis paleo-(or eo-) meso- and neo- in subdi- 

 viding systems into series ; thus the divisions of the 3d order of 

 the Devonian system become Eodevonian, Mesodevonian, and 

 Neodevonian, leaving for each country to determine the particu- 

 lar formations (etages) to be included in each series. 



The following international committees with their American 

 representatives were appointed : Comm. des lignes de rivages — 

 Dawson (Canada), Chamberlin (U. S.) ; Comm. de Cooperation 

 internationale — Chamberlin, Walcott ; Comm. de Reproduction 

 des types f ossiles — Walcott, Williams ; Comm. de Petrographie — 

 Adams (Canada), Hague, Iddings, Pirsson (U. S.). h. s. w. 



3. Preliminary Description of the Geology and Water Resources 

 of the Southern Half of the Black Hills and adjoining Regions 

 in South Dakota and Wyoming ; by Nelson Horatio Darton. 

 U. S. Ge'ol. Survey, 21st Annual Report, Part IV, pp. 491-599. — 

 The Black Hills country is an epitome of North American 

 geology and is probably destined to occupy a larger space in 

 text-books and courses of instruction than any other area of 

 similar size within the United States. For this reason the Black 

 Hills geology deserves all the labor that is necessary to make it 

 accurate and complete ; further, the publications regarding it 

 should be well illustrated and written with a view to their use by 

 general readers. These preliminary papers by Mr. Darton are in 

 the main well up to these requirements. 



In the present paper some new facts are added to the geolog- 

 ical history of the Mesozoic rim of the Black Hills uplift. The 

 uppermost layer of what has been regarded as Carboniferous is 

 proved to be Permian ; the Red Beds and the marine Jura have 

 been separated and subdivided ; part of the Atlantosaurus Beds 

 (fresh-water Jura) of Marsh are named Beulah shales (from 

 Beulah post office in the Trias ?). The idea advanced by Ward 



