402 Scientific Intelligence. 



2. Geological Society of America. — The publication of the 

 papers read before the Geological Society at its December meet- 

 ing has been going forward, and already have appeared papers 

 by I. C. Russell, the Surface Geology of Alaska ; A. C. Lawson, 

 Canada Archaean surfaces and taxonomy; W. M. Davis, struc- 

 ture and origin of Glacial Sand-plains ; C. R. VanHise, the pre- 

 Cambrian of the Black Hills; S. F. Emmons, Orographic move- 

 ments in the Rocky Mountains ; R. Bell, Glacial phenomena in 

 Canada ; Sir W. Dawson and D. P. Penhallow, the Pleistocene 

 flora of Canada ; C. D. Walcott, the value of the term Hudson 

 River group in geological nomenclature; A. Winchell, Some re- 

 sults of Archaean studies. 



3. Quaternary History of Mono Valley, California, by 

 Israel C. Russell. 1 26 pp. large 8vo. 8th Ann. Rep. Director 

 U. S. Geol. Survey for 1866-67 (yet unpublished).— Mr. Russell's 

 extensive explorations over the Great Basin, as shown in his 

 Reports on Lake Lahontan Basin, and the Glaciers of the Sierras, 

 had well prepared him for his later work on the Quaternary 

 history of the Mono Valley. This valley of Mono Lake is situ- 

 ated on the southwestern part of the basin, 6,380 feet above the 

 sea. In Mr. Russell's account of the region, he first describes its 

 general features, those of the present time and of the Quarter- 

 nary, its remarkable tufa towers and other deposits, and the 

 chemistry of its waters ; and then takes up, and treats with 

 much instructive and interesting detail its glacial history. Among 

 the facts mentioned, he states that the basin of Lake Mono i& 

 rock-bound on all sides, and therefore must have been excavated 

 by glacial abrasion ; the bottom is now fifty-one feet below the 

 surface of the lake. Next the volcanic history is discussed. 

 Scores of recent craters of basalt, andesite and more recent lavas 

 are described as occurring: along- the base of the Sierra in the 

 vicinity of Lake Mono ; and not far distant to the eastward are 

 mountain ranges of " more ancient volcanic rocks ;■" but no such 

 cones occur in the adjoining part of the Sierra. Feeble fumaroles 

 and springs of heated water occur at Hot Spring Cove on the 

 eastern side of Paoha Island as the only remains of former activity. 



The region described is one of the most interesting on the 

 Pacific side of the Continent, as shown some years since by Prof. 

 LeConte's descriptions. The fuller details and judicious discus- 

 sions of Mr. Russell's memoir bring the fact strongly to view, 

 This is made the more manifest by the many excellent maps and 

 views. 



4. Catalogue of British Fossil Vertebrata ; by WoodwarC 

 and Sherborn". (Communicated.) — Some months since Mr. 

 Arthur Smith Woodward published the first part of a Catalogue 

 of the fossil fishes in the British Museum, forming a volume of 

 nearly 500 pages, octavo, with 17 plates. This volume contained 

 only the Elasmobranchii ; and we may soon expect another which 

 shall include the Placoderms, Ganoids and Teleosts. Much con- 

 scientious labor was bestowed upon this work by Mr. Wood- 



