148 Scientific Intelligence. 



ing no relics whatever of marine or even brackish-water origin. . . 

 On the other hand, evidence seems to point to continental deposits, 

 the result of the ordinary subaerial agencies of winds and rains 

 and rivers" (39). 



" The terrestrial vertebrate skeletons are all reptilian remains ; 

 three, those of phytosaurs, remotely related to living crocodiles, 

 and, in one instance at least, oecologically equivalent to the fish- 

 eating gavials of the Far East. The others are all dinosaurs of 

 average size and representative kinds, neither the largest nor the 

 most specialized which lived during the time of which we speak. 



" The footprints doubtless represent two, possibly three, great 

 classes of terrestrial beings : Amphibia of salamandrine form were 

 perhaps present, and doubtless representatives of the more archaic 

 armored stegocephalians as well, though one cannot indicate the 

 tracks of either with assurance. Of the reptiles, the possibilities 

 of time and place would indicate lizards, turtles, and dinosaurs 

 among the more familiar forms, and these unquestionably were 

 represented in the fauna ; and among those less known the Rhyn- 

 chocephalia, phytosaurs, aetosaurs, and theromorphs are within 

 the possibilities. Whether or not birds were present is a mooted 

 question " (41-42). c. s. 



2. Central Connecticut in the Geologic Past / by Joseph Bar- 

 bell. Bull. 23, Connecticut Geol. and Nat. Hist. Surv., 1915, 

 pp. 44, 5 pis. — The author describes and illustrates the physical 

 history, i. e., the periods of elevation and peneplanation that the 

 Connecticut valley has undergone since late Paleozoic time. Of 

 particular interest are Barrell's eight very original " structure 

 sections," diagrams that not only show the topography of the 

 time depicted, but the inferred underground geology as well. 

 The whole is presented in an interesting manner. c. s. 



3. Bibliographic Index of American Ordovician and Silurian 

 Fossils ; by Ray S. Bassler. Bull. 92, U. S. National Museum, 

 1915, pp. 152 i, 4 pis. (tables). — This great labor of love is a boon 

 to all paleontologists working with Ordovician and Silurian 

 fossils and stratigraphy. The work gives the entire bibliography 

 and synonymy of the hundreds of genera and thousands of species 

 found in North America in rocks of the two periods mentioned. 

 In addition the genotypes of the genera are given, and also the 

 formation, the type locality, and the known wider distribution of 

 the species. In cases where the IT. S. National Museum has type 

 material, this is noted. At the end of the bibliography is given 

 an index of specific names and their generic combinations (pages 

 1343-1406), a biological classification and index of genera 

 (1407-1440), faunal lists of American Ozarkian to lowest Helder- 

 bergian forms (1441-1509), and a list of American Ordovician 

 and Silurian formations (1511-1521). Finally at the end of the 

 work are four very important correlation tables of the geologic 

 divisions and their occurrence in the various basins of deposit. 

 Doctor Bassler is to be congratulated upon the completion of his 

 ffreat and valuable undertaking. 



