Geology and Mineralogy. 395 



nounced beds of other kinds to the west and northwest. Cross- 

 bedding is conspicuous. This corresponds in general to the forma- 

 tion which has been called the red Catskill. 



Oswayo is characterized by green and gray sandstones and 

 shales with occasional thin beds or lenses of red shale from the 

 arbitrary top limit of the Cattaraugus to a point at which decid- 

 edly red beds begin to appear about 1 100 feet higher up. These 

 beds are also more or less cross-bedded. 



The Mauch Chunk includes from the lowest recognized red bed 

 overlying the Oswayo for 100 feet upward or less, and is termi- 

 nated above by an unconformity. 



The Pottsville formation is described in the text as including 

 the Sharon conglomerate member at the base, 60 to 100 feet in 

 thickness, almost entirel}^ quartz, " and is frequently a coarse 

 sandstone rather than a conglomerate." The upper portion is more 

 sandy and shaly than the lower and with one or more coal seams; 

 the fossil plants in which have been identified with those of the 

 Mercer horizon of the Pottsville. 



It is evident from these definitions that the limits. set for the 

 formations are both local and arbitrary ; and as the characters 

 used in drawing the lines are recognized as varying across the 

 area mapped in these two contiguous folios, it is not probable 

 that formations based on the same criteria of discrimination will 

 agree in stratigraphic position for many miles either side of this 

 area. h. s. w. 



2. Geological Survey of Canada: Robeet Bell, Director. — 

 The following reports have recently been issued : 



No. 797. Report on the Cambrian Rocks of Cape Breton ; by 

 G. F. Matthew. 246 pp., 18 pis. 



No. 821. Report of the Section of Chemistry and Mineralogy; 

 by G. Christian Hoffmann, pp. 1 R to 67 R. 



No. 822. Catalogue of Canadian Birds, Part II. Birds of 

 prey, woodpeckers, flycatchers, crows, jays and blackbirds, includ- 

 ing the following orders : Raptores, Coccyges, Pici, Macrochires, 

 and part of the Passeres ; by John Macoun. 413 pp. 



No. 827. Mesozoic Fossils, Vol. I, Part V (and last). On some 

 additional fossils from the Vancouver Cretaceous with a revised 

 list of the species therefrom ; by J. F. Whiteaves, pp. 309-416, 

 and pis. 40-51. 



In the first of these reports Dr. Matthew gives details of the 

 Coldbrook and Etcheminian terranes, and the fossils found in 

 them and of their relation to the Laurentian upper series. The 

 results of an interesting investigation of the orientation of brachi- 

 opod shells are reported from which the direction of the current 

 during their burial is estimated, based upon a large number of 

 observations upon the shells of numerous genera. The shells of 

 Acrothyra furnish the most satisfactory evidence. Mr. Macoun 

 contributes a second part to his catalogue of Canadian birds ; the 

 third is announced as almost ready for printing. 

 . Doctor Whiteaves completes, in the contribution here listed, 

 his valuable Memoir upon the Cretaceous Rocks of Vancouver. 



