1889-] Geology and Palcsontology. 621 
The Chinese have recently sent a scientific expedition into Russia 
as a sort of response to the numerous expeditions which have visited 
China of recent years. The chief of the expedition is Miao, a high 
functionary in the finance department, and the secretary is a savant 
named Joney, who speaks Russian well. The visitors have been well 
received, especially at Irkutsk. 
Among the very few lakes of South America is that of Tacarigua in 
northern Venezuela. This was visited by Humboldt, and was then 56 
kilometres in length. In 1887 M. Hesse -Wartegg visited it and found 
that its length was diminished to 49 kilometres. The coasts resemble 
those of the Lake of Geneva, and its twenty-two islands recall those of 
lake Pazcuaro in Mexico. 
The Pamues, a tribe living upon the lower part of the river Muni, 
have lately become threatening in their attitude toward the Europeans 
of the district belonging to Spain, between the Cameroons and the 
French colony on the Gaboon. As the Spaniards had no available 
force at hand, the French, who lay claim to part of that coast, had to 
be called in to protect life and property. 
GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY. 
Contributions to the Knowledge of the Genus Pachy- 
phyllum. — Up to 1870 the genus Pachyphyllum was not supposed by 
geologists to be represented in any of the American strata. But in 
1870, Dr. White described a new species of coral from the Rockford 
shales, at Rockford and Hackberry, Iowa, as Smithia looodmani (Geol. 
Rep. Iowa, 1870, Vol. II., p. 188). This species was, however, after- 
wards shown to belong to the genus Pachyphyllum,'^ instead of the genus 
Smithia, to which it was at first referred. Again, in 1873, another new 
species of coral from the same beds was described by Hall and Whit- 
field,2 as Pachyphyllum solitarium, intimating at the same time, how- 
ever, that the specimen so referred differed from the generic descrip- 
tion of Pachyphyllum in its being solHary. Since that time we have 
secured very large numbers of finely preserved specimens of this 
species, together with one new form from the same beds, as well as a 
' 23d Ann. Rep. Board of Regen 
