102 Scientific Intelligence. 



the International Congress of Geologists held in Washing- 

 ton that year. 

 (3) Forty-three (43) large boxes (weighing 4,380 lbs.) of Pliocene 

 Vertebrate Fossils were transferred April IV, 1890. 



These various collections with other smaller consignments 

 transferred to the National Museum (255 boxes in all, with a total 

 weight of over 20 tons) were secured under the special direction 

 of Prof. Marsh, as Paleontologist of the U. S. Geological Survey- 

 in charge of Vertebrate Paleontology, during 1882-92. The 

 remaining collections thus made, and still at New Haven, will be 

 sent to Washington as soon as their scientific investigation now 

 in progress is completed. 



2. U. S. Geological Survey. — A new publication of the U. S. 

 Geological Survey has appeared as Folio 1 of the Topographic 

 Atlas. It embraces ten maps selected to illustrate topographic 

 forms described in an accompanying text, by Henry Gannett, 

 and is intended for use in teaching Geography. The topographic 

 types illustrated are : 



A Region in Youth (Fargo, North Dakota), Maturity (Charles- 

 ton, West Virginia), Old Age (Caldwell, Kansas), Rejuvenated 

 (Palmyra, Virginia), also A Young Volcanic Mountain (Mount 

 Shasta, California), Moraines (Eagle, Wisconsin), Drumlins (Sun 

 Prairie, Wisconsin), River Flood Plains (Donaldsonville, Louis- 

 iana), A Fiord Coast (Boothbay, Maine), A Barrier-Beach Coast 

 (Atlantic City, New Jersey). These features are illustrated by 

 the sheets noted in parentheses. 



3. The Occurrence of Petroleum in Burma. Volume xxvii, Part 

 II, of the Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India, consists of 

 a paper of 226 pages, with a large number of folded plates, by Dr. 

 Fritz Noetling on the occurrence of petroleum in Burma, and 

 its technical exploitation. This discusses the subject exhaustively, 

 both from the scientific and technical side and further gives an 

 interesting historical summary going back to legendary times. 

 The chief locality is at Yenangyoung, on the left bank of the 

 Irawadi, in the Mag we District, where the petroleum comes 

 chiefly from certain argillaceous beds in the Upper Miocene. 

 Another locality is near the village of Minbu, on the Irawadi, 

 423 miles above Ragoon ; but this has not been exploited thus 

 far to any considerable extent. Some other occurrences are also 

 noted, as that at Yenangyat. It is stated that a peculiarity of 

 the Burma petroleum consists in its large percentage of paraffine 

 wax, which makes it a viscous oil. In consequence of this, at a 

 temperature of 54° F., the petroleum which collects in some pools 

 congeals and forms a greasy matter of the consistency of lard ; 

 thus during the winter months the pipe lines cool so much that 

 the flow is seriously clogged. The petroleum contains about 50 

 per cent of illuminating oil with 40 per cent of lubricating oil 

 and 10 per cent of paraffine wax. The oil from Yenangyat, 

 however, is lighter and contains a larger quantity of illuminating 

 oil than that of Yenangyoung. Previous to 1886 there was no 



