642 Scientific Intelligence. 



2. List of North American Land Mammals in the United 

 States National Museum, 1911 ; by Gerrit S. Miller, Jr. Pp. 

 xiv, 455. Washington, 1912 (Smithsonian Institution, United 

 States National Museum, Bulletin 79.) — The author has made a 

 minute study of the mammals, not only of North America, but of 

 Europe as well, and he now presents a summary of the systematic 

 results of study in this field to the end of 1911. The geographical 

 area covers the entire North American continent from Panama and 

 the Greater and Lesser Antilles northward, and also includes Green- 

 land. It is interesting to be informed that no other museum con- 

 tains so rich a mammalian fauna for an equally large area. For 

 example, the total number of forms recognized is 2,138, of which 

 only 183 are not represented. The collection as a whole numbers 

 some 120,000 specimens, including 1,135 types. The catalogue is 

 especially valuable in connection with a similar work on Western 

 Europe prepared by the same author, under the auspices of the 

 British Museum. 



3. An Index to the Scientific Contents of the Journal and 

 Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia . 

 Published in Commemoration of the Centenary of the Academy, 

 March 21, 1912. Pp. xiv, 1419. Philadelphia, 1913.— The 

 fifteenth volume of the Journal of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia, commemorating its one hundredth anni- 

 versary on March 21, 1912, was noticed in the February number 

 (p. 199). A second publication, no less important although less 

 original in subject matter, has now been issued through the 

 efforts of the recording secretary, Dr. Edward J. Nolan. This is 

 an Index to both the Journal and the Proceedings of the Acad- 

 emy since their beginning. It is divided into two parts: The 

 first, pp. 1-187, gives a list of contributors with the titles of 

 their papers ; the second, pp. 189-1419, is a complete index of 

 genera, species, and the subject matter in general. The magni- 

 tude of the task, recorded in this weighty volume, is obvious at a 

 glance, but the amount of labor involved can hardly be appreci- 

 ated by one who has not taken active part in such work. It may 

 be interesting to add that five years after the founding of the 

 Academy, that is, in 1817, the First Series of the Journal in 

 octavo was begun ; the Second Series of the same in quarto was 

 inaugurated in 1847 and the last volume, XV, is alluded to above. 

 In March, 184], a series of Proceedings was begun of which the 

 sixty-second volume, the last included in this index, was com- 

 pleted in 1911. 



Obituary. 



Professor William M. Fontaine, for more than thirty 

 years professor of natural history and geology in the University 

 of Virginia, died on April 30 in his seventy-eighth year. He was 

 especially distinguished for his researches in paleobotany, pub- 

 lished under the auspices of the U. S. Geological Survey, in the 

 pages of this Journal and elsewhere. 



Professor Lester F. Ward, professor of sociology in Brown 

 University and earlier geologist of the U. S. Geological Survey, 

 died on April 18 in his seventy-second year. His geological 

 work was particularly in the department of paleobotany. 



