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conclusions in this case, (p. 685, 1. c.), but his chapter on the 
Loess (pp. 407-421, 1. c.) which is largely a compilation of older 
views (the later views of some of the authors quoted are disre- 
garded, as in the case of Chamberlin), and his occasional dis- 
cussion of mollusks, demonstrate that he is not in a position to 
judge accurately of the former, or to pass judgment on the 
value of the latter as a measure of conditions during the deposi- 
tion of loess. 
In his quotation from Pumpelly, Wright retains the state- 
ment that Vitrina is not a land-snail ! His discussion of the 
habits of mollusks (p. 421, etc.) also shows a lack of familiarity 
with the subject. 
Wright’s charge of bias 18 on the part of the writer, because his 
studies of the mollusks of the loess have led him to support the 
aeolian hypothesis, is interesting. Presumably to avoid bias, 
a man must refrain from getting information on a subject at 
first hand ! 
The third of Wright’s “best authenticated” cases (pp. 685- 
686. 1. c.), is based on a stone implement which was “found 
projecting from the face of an old cut for a road” in St. Joseph, 
Missouri. The description is sufficient to relegate this case to 
the list of those “not proven.” Incidentally it may be noted 
that the case reported by Witter 19 as a discovery of arrow-heads 
from the loess of Muscatine is equally doubtful, and was so re- 
garded by Witter before his death. 
No new evidence has been presented in any of these cases, nor 
is there any well-authenticated, undisputed case of the occurrence 
of human remains or artifacts in original loess that has since 
come to light. Man probably inhabited much of the region in 
which loess was being deposited, but as yet, we have no clear 
evidence of the fact from anything which has been found in the 
loess. If such evidence should come to light, it may then be 
necessary to point out other difficulties in the way of using loess 
as a measure of time. 
Department of Botany, 
State University. 
18 L. c., p. 685. Wright has evidently not read the writer’s papers carefully. 
19 F. M. Witter, Notice of Arrow Points from the Loess in the City of 
Muscatine: Proc. Iowa Acad. Science, Vol. I, pt. 2, pp. 66-68; 1892. 
