836 General Notes. 
eruptive rocks is in Abyssinia, where they are of early tertiary 
The author gives the following summary. The African continent 
` falls into three distinct geological regions: (1) The Atlas, which 
comprises a tolerably complete series of formations, that collec- 
tively have undergone similar disturbances to those that have taken 
place in the Alps; geologically, this region belongs to Europe. 
2) The Desert region is distinguished by the horizontality of the 
alæozoic strata and by great gaps below the chalk; the latter 
formations show a development corresponding to that of Syria and 
Arabia. (3) The South African region, which consists of a 
of crystalline mountains of enormous extent, covered with innu- 
merable layers of horizontal sandstone, the age of which lies 
between that of the Carboniferous and that of the Jura. Analo- 
gous conditions occur in India. The marginal zone of later 
formations is also characteristic. : 
I. C. Russell contributes to the August issue of the Geological 
Magazine a summary of what is known of the geological history of 
the Jordan-Arabah depression, which offers so many points of 
resemblance to the Great Basin of North America that he ventures 
some suggestions and hypotheses. 
Devontan.—Numerous crinoids collected in the Lower Devo- 
nian strata of Bundenbach and Gemunden are described by Dr. O- 
Follman in the Verh. d. nat. Jahrg., xxxiv. 5 Folge, IV. Bd., pp- 
113-138. Seven new species are described and figured. 
Creraceous.—Neetling distinguishes three groups of strata in 
the cretaceous of Syria and Palestine. The uppermost contains 
Grypheas and Cephalopoda, but is without Nerinea and Rudista. 
The upper part consists of chalk with flints, the lower of bitumi- 
nous shales and lime, and the group corresponds to the Senonian. The 
middle group corresponds to the upper Turonian, and contains 
numerous Rudista, Cephalopoda, and Nerinea, but no Trigonias or 
ereas; it consists of dazzling white thick limestones wi 
alternating beds of gray clays, but contains no flints. The lowest 
group has many Trigonias, Cythereas, and Nerineas, but e 
Cephalopoda and Rudista ; it consists of sandstones, clays, an 
arenaceous limestones, and is identified with the lower Tam 
The Syrian cretaceous is distinguished from that of Europe by f 
absence of Belemnites and Inocerami. The Trigonia sandstone 0 
the lowest group -has a European character, while the Senonian 
resembles that of Africa. 
Cnozo1c.—According to M. Gandry, the following are the 
heights of the largest fossil mammals that have yet been discovered * 
