160 Scientific Intelligence. 



the administration of public lands on a more scientific basis, the 

 work of the Land Classification Board has become an important 

 feature of the Survey's activity, and under the direction of W. C. 

 Mendenhall, the present chairman, is increasing in amount and in 

 accuracy. Fortunately the past work of the Survey has been 

 done in such a manner that extensive records and studies cover- 

 ing a long term of years are available. Without these data public 

 land legislation would be necessarily unsatisfactory. 



The general value of the Survey to the country is indicated by 

 the growing demand for its publications. During the year under 

 consideration the number of reports and maps issued reached 

 the enormous total of 1,208,797 (488,930 books, 34,117 folios, 

 684,129 maps). Of this amount half a million maps were sold, 

 an increase of 15 per cent over the previous years. The demand 

 in some instances is so great that second editions were required of 

 five Bulletins, twelve Water-Supply Papers, and of the Mineral 

 Resources of the United States. 



An examination of the outline map showing the area covered 

 by topographic surveys indicates substantial progress during the 

 year. The maps of six states have been completed ; 50 per cent 

 of nine other states has been covered ; and only five states show 

 less than 10 per cent of their area represented by maps. 



The organization of the Bureau of Mines, relieving the Survey 

 of a portion of its economic work, which was only remotely 

 related to it, seems on the whole to have been a satisfactory 

 arrangement ; it allows for the enlargement of its work along 

 scientific lines as well as of basal studies in conservation. 



It is an interesting indication of the growth of interest in scien- 

 tific studies and the appreciation of expert scientific knowledge as 

 a basis of legislation that various new bureaus have from time to 

 time been created from sections in the Survey, without decreas- 

 ing the staff or scope of the work of the parent organization. 



H. E. G. 



2. The Granites of Connecticut ; by T. Nelson Dale and 

 H. E. Gregory. Bull. 484, U. S. Geol. Survey, pp. 137, pi. vi. 

 Washington, 1911. — This is a continuation of the very useful 

 reports on the granite industry in the eastern states published in 

 recent years by the Survey. The subject is treated both from 

 the scientific and economic standpoint, but in such a manner as 

 to make the more purely scientific parts quite intelligible to the 

 general reader. 



In part one, which is devoted to the scientific portion of the 

 work, Professor Gregory first treats in a broad, concise way of 

 the salient features of the geology of the state with especial ref- 

 erence to the origin, nature, and classification of the rocks, the 

 distribution of the bodies of granite being shown on a colored 

 geologic map on the scale of 1-500,000. Professor Dale follows 

 with a discussion of various features of the granites, such as their 

 structure, rock variations, weathering and discoloration. The 

 treatment of rift and grain and of sheeting is interesting, though 



