123 
THE SCIENTIST. 
Prehnps the most interesting dnck 
forms in the state are those few enpturts 
imtil recently presnmed to be specimens 
of the Black Dnck (Anas ohscura). Col. 
Goss lists both ohscura, and Sennetfs 
new Texas form maculosa (i-ednced at 
Col. Goss's sngo-pstion to a snb species of 
fulvitjulc) in his 'Tliscor.y". But Mr. 
Goss did not believe that the typical oh- 
scura had ever been taken in the stat'\ 
saying as mnch in a conversation had 
shoi-tly before his death, and entered 
ohscura only in deference to other n'poi-ts 
of its presence in the sonthwest. Col. 
Goss shot the pair in the Goss Oi iiitho- 
iof^ical Collection, at ISTeosho FalN. and 
decides them to be the Texas form. I 
have a female which I captnred near 
Empoi-ia, and while api)roachin:^ the 
Texas form it 3^etoft'ers consideral)le dif- 
ference in plnmao-e. Jt seems to me not 
improbable that we may have an inland 
form dilferini>' from the Gulf type, inas- 
much as geogra])hical conditions are 
apparent!}' veiy intluontinl in determin- 
ing; variations from the parent foian. oh- 
scura. As the matter now stands.we have 
the Black Duck (^1. ohscura) alon;^ the 
Labrador and the north-eas-t coast, the 
Florida Dnck (A fidciguJa) aloig the 
south-east coast, and the Mottled Duck 
{A. f. maculosa) from Texas. 1 hope lo 
offer some further notes on the occurence 
of the Kansas Black Ducks in the near 
future. 
The capture of any of these rare forms 
in Kansas by bird-<^tudents shoidd be 
promptly made known : the Scikntist's 
columns are doubtless open to any such 
interesting notes.* [ shall esteem it a 
favor to be personally infoi-nied of any 
snch captures, and do especially solicit 
information concerning Kansas or Mis- 
souri captures of the Black duck or any 
of its variations. 
* The Scientist will always be l)fip;)y to receive 
Fuc'n Ornitliolo<rical nates, and will takf plent^ure 
in pub'.ishiiii^ everytiiing of value in that line. 
Eighth Annual Report of the Unit- 
ed States Geological Survey to 
THE SEC'y of the Interior. 18S()-"87. 
By J. VV. PowEi L, Director. 
Parts I. and II. 
Washington, D. C:. 
Government Pi-inting OfRce. 
1889. 
This is a report of work began by 
Clarence King in 1879 and so ably cai- 
ried on since 1880, under the directions 
of Major J. Powell, and i^ "A Geo- 
logical survey and Cla^sitication of the 
public lands, and Examination of the 
Geological Strnctni-e, IMineral Resom-ces 
aufl Products of the N'.itional Domain." 
Parti. Contains an outline of the 
plan of organization, and a revicvV of the 
work done in tho years 1886-"87 by the 
Director, J. Powell. 
The Quafei'iiary histoty of Mona Val- 
ley, California, by Israel C. Eussal; 
Geology of the Lossen Peak district by 
J. S. Diller. The Fossil Bntteitlies of 
Flwressant," by S. II. Sddder. 
Part II. Consists of an elaborate 
paper by Edward Orton on • 'The Trenton 
Limestone as a Source of Petrolium and 
Inflamable Gas in Ohio and Indiana;'' 
paper by Lester F. Ward on ''The Geo- 
graphical Distribution of Fossil Plants;'' 
a paper entitled -'Summary of the Geo- 
logy of the Quicksilver Deposits of the 
Pacific Slope" by George F. Becl<er and 
a paper by Professor N. S. Slialer, on 
"The Geology of Mount Desert Island, 
Maine.'' 
Altogether an intei-esting report from 
one end to the other, abounding in mat- 
ters of the greatest practical as well as 
scientific value. Xot the least inter- 
esting of which is the discussion of the 
business methods of the Survey. 
The qupstion of how to conduct a geo- 
logical Sm-vey so as to get the best scien- 
tific results with lea«t expenditure of the 
public moneys, and this without hamper- 
ing the individuality and enthusiasm of 
the woi-ker, is ju^t now an important 
question in connection with the State 
Survey of Missouri. 
