478 The American Naturalist. - [May, 
Carson, Nevada, and at Camp Bidwell, California. Ogden, Utah, was 
the initial point of the Utah section. An area aggregating 25,550 
square miles was occupied, situated chiefly in Southwestern New 
Mexico, Northern Utah, Northern, Central, and Southwestern 
California, Western Nevada, and Central Oregon. 
Areas embraced during the seasons of 1873, 1874, 1875, 1876, and 
1877 were again visited along certain lines when rendered necessary in 
perfecting triangulation and topographic details. 
In 1879 several small parties were sent out to complete details in 
certain areas entered during the years 1873, 1875, 1877, and 1878. 
The survey was terminated at the same time as that under Dr. E 
V. Hayden, by the act of Congress creating the United States Geo- 
logical Survey. While it was probably well that the geological survey 
should have been undertaken by a bureau of the Interior Department, 
it is not so clear that the topographical work should have been so dis- 
posed of. That this should be done by the United States Engineers 
seems eminently proper, since the educated men and the plant in 
instruments, etc., have been in that department of the government 
service from its commencement. To duplicate this seems to be an 
unwise and unnecessary expense. 
The Itinerary of the Colorado Grand Cafion and River trip of 1871 
is of absorbing interest. 
The text is abundantly illustrated with fine chromo-lithographs, and 
the value of the work enhanced by the reproduction of old maps, with 
notes and references to geographical codrdinates for a permanent 
official topographic atlas of the United States. : 
The value of a reliable geographical report on the territory discussed 
in this book is inestimable, and the highest praise is due to the dis; 
tinguished author for the faithful, accurate, and above all, systematic 
production of so great an amount of geographic, geologic, and other 
scientific material, 
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