990 The American Naturalist. [November, 
Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 
1889-90. Part I.^—This quarto volume of 757 pages constitutes a 
record of the geological work of the survey for the years 1889-90. It 
comprises the report of the Director, giving a general account of the 
progress of the work during those years, appended to which are the 
administrative reports of the chiefs of branches and divisions, and two 
scientific papers by members of the survey. Both of these papers, the 
first by Mr. W. J. McGee on the Geology of Northeastern Iowa, and 
the second by Mr. A. J. Phinney, on Natural Gas Districts in Indiana, 
are the result of observations extending through a number of years. 
The illustrations are numerous and excellent. 
The Report of the Death Valley Expedition.’—This report 
is No. 7, of the series “ North American Fauna” published by the U. 
S. Agricultural Department. It embraces the following special 
reports. Birds by Dr. A. K. Fisher; Reptiles and Batrachians by Dr. 
Leonard Stejneger; Fishes by Dr. C. H. Gilbert: Insects by Dr. C. 
V. Riley assisted by Drs. S. W. Williston, P. R. Uhler and Lawrence 
Bruner; Molluses by Dr. R. E. C. Stearns; Desert Trees and Shrubs 
by Dr. C. H. Merriam; Desert Cactuses and Yuccas by Dr. C. H. 
Merriam ; and the Localities by T. S. Palmer. 
The expedition was under the direction of Dr. C. H. Merriam, 
Director of the Department of Animal Industry, who deserves much 
credit for the inception and execution of the plan. Asa report of a 
single exploration, it is second to none of those sent out at various 
times by the Government, if thoroughness of work and importance of 
results to geographic, climatic, and hypsometric distribution be consid- 
ered. The report on Mammalia which is yet to be issued, will be by Dr. 
Merriam, and we may anticipate that much of interest will be brought 
to light by its author, who is here in his favorite field. 
The geographie distribution of the numerous Species met with, is 
stated in terms of the system already adopted by Dr. Merriam in his 
report on the distribution of life in Arizona. 
In this system Dr. Merriam? discards the usual divisions, which 
ê Eleventh Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary 
-of the Interior, 1889-90. By J. W. Powell, Director, Part I, Geology, Washing- 
ton, 1891. 
"The Death Valley Expedition: A Biological Survey of parts of California, 
Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Part II, North American Fauna, No. 7. Washington, 
1893. 
*The Geographic Distribution of Life in North America with special Reference to 
the Mammalia; Proc. Biol. Soc., Washington, VII, p. 11. April, 1892. 
