240 The American Naturalist. [March, 



bridge Gulf they were glad to find again some of the comforts of civil- 

 ization in the huts of the hospitable Chinese who occupy the most 

 advanced post of civilization in that region. 



Bradshaw's journey has revealed the character of one of the large 

 unexplored regions of Australia. About the same time David Lind- 

 say was crossing the greatest unknown expanse in southwest A u>tralia. 

 He has now gone north to traverse an unexplored district in the west 

 central part of the continent, and when he completes this journey 

 there will be no large region in Australia that is not fairly well 

 known in its general aspects. — N. Y. Sun. 



GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. 



The Genus Scolithus. — Mr. Joseph F. James read a paper 

 before the meeting of the Geological Society at Washington entitled 

 "Studies in Problematic Organisms— The < Jenus Scolithus." After a 

 lengthy review of the literature concerning this subject, the author 

 discusses the fossils as follows: 



"There have been described of the genus from North America the 

 -pecies: 



Scolithus (Fucoides) shepardii Hitchcock, 1833 (Triassic). 



S. linearis Haldemann, 1840 (Lower Cambrian). 



S.( Fucoides) verticalis Hall, 1843 (Portage). 



S. clintonensis (n. sp.), proposed for S. verticalis Hall, 1852, preoc- 

 cupied (Clinton and Medina). 



S. canadensis Billings, 1862 (Potsdam). 



8. minutus Wing, 1877 (Calciferous). 



S. tuberosus Miller and Dyer, 1878 (Cincinnati). 



S. (Arenicolites) woodii Whitfield, 1880 (Potsdam or St. Croix). 



S. delicatulus U. P. James, 1881 (Cincinnati). 



S. dispar U. P. James, (Eophyton dispar), 1881 (Cincinnati). 



5. minnesotensis (n. sp.), Winchell, 1884, described but not named 

 (St. Peters). 



The geological range of the genus appears from this list to be from 

 the Lower Cambrian to the Triassic 8. shepardii from the Triassic 

 does not differ in any essential respect from S. linearis from the 

 Cambrian. It is impo,sibh> to separate S. v< rlindi* of the Portage 

 from S. clintonensis of the Clinton and Medina, or either of these from 



