88 Scientific Intelligence. 



ply is not inexhaustible. It is fast declining and the end is not 

 far off. Most of the present drilling is done in territory aban- 

 doned years ago, and the average well now drilled would have 

 been considered a failure ten years ago. The price of gas has 

 increased fivefold in ten years and at the present time more pipe- 

 line is being taken out of the ground than put in it. Two large 

 gas companies have entirely abandoned the city of Indianapolis. 



2. Geological Map of Indiana. — A new geological map of 

 Indiana has been published under the direction of W. S. Blatch- 

 ley, state geologist, on a scale of four miles to the inch. This 

 map is a compilation of all the stratigraphic work done in the 

 state from 1895 to 1903 inclusive, while the actual work of prep- 

 aration is by T. C. Hopkins. Accompanying the map is a short 

 description (77 pp.) of the topography of Indiana and of the 

 chief geologic formations of the state. No attempt has been 

 made to represent the rock structure underneath the heavy glacial 

 deposits covering the northern part of the state for a distance of 

 about forty miles. 



3. Geological Survey of New Jersey ; Henry B. Kumjtel, 

 State Geologist, Vol. VI, 533 pp., 56 pis., 41 figs.— The latest 

 volume of the New Jersey survey deals with the Clays and Clay 

 Industry of New Jersey, and is written by Heinrich Ries and 

 II. B. Kiimmel, assisted by G. N. Knapp. The report deals with 

 the occurrence, chemical and physical properties of clays, the 

 stratigraphy of the clays and the method of their manufacture. 

 A very complete set of fire brick tests has been made, particu- 

 larly in reference to its refractoriness. A striking commentary 

 upon the efficiency of the New Jersey survey is the fact that the 

 clay maps of 1878 are found to be accurate in spite of the great 

 development of the industry since that time. 



4. Recent Seism ological Investigations in Japan; by Baron 

 Daiuoktj Kikuchi, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Tokyo 

 Imperial University, Member and former President of the Im- 

 perial Earthquake Investigation Committee. Pp. ix+120. 54 

 illustrations. Tokyo, 1904. — This volume, stamped "for private 

 circulation only," was distributed at the Japanese exhibit of the 

 recent exposition in St. Louis. As stated in the introduction, 

 Japan is preeminently the land of earthquakes, and following the 

 great Mino-Owari earthquake of October, 1891, in which over 

 7000 people were killed, the Imperial Earthquake Commission 

 was established with a twofold object. First, to investigate 

 whether there are any means of predicting earthquakes ; and, 

 secondly, to determine how to reduce the disastrous effects to a 

 minimum. With, characteristic Japanese insight and thorough- 

 ness the commission decided that the best way to attain its objects 

 was first, possibly for many years, to study earthquakes in every 

 relation, even such as might appear to have little or no bearing 

 upon the immediate objects. The results of these investigations 

 are given in sixteen publications in foreign languages, a list of 

 which is given in the back of this volume. Among the more 



