Review of Recent Geological Literature 183 
The work when completed will be one of the most comprehen- 
sive and philosophic compends of the features of the earth's sur- 
face ever conceived. It exceeds Lyell's as Lyell's surpasses Hut- 
ton's, because of the increased knowledge of the globe. 
N. H. W. 
Elements of Mineralogy. Crystallography and Blowpipe Analysis 
from a practical standpoint, including a description of all com- 
mon or useful minerals, the tests necessary for their identifica- 
tion, the recognition and measurement of their crystals, and a 
concise statement of their uses in the arts. By Alfri^-d J. Moses 
and Charles Lathrop Parsons, 3rd enlarged edition, pp. 444. 
Price, $2.50, net. D. Van Nostrand Companj', New York, 1904. 
This work has been entirely re-arranged and much of it re-writ- 
ten. Many of the original diagrams and figures have been dis- 
carded, or have been replaced by half-tone photographs of real 
crystals. "The introductory portion of Part III, Descriptive Miner- 
alogy, has been carefully revised and re-written, a chapter added 
upon "Occurrence and Origin of Minerals"; the discussion of chemi- 
cal composition and chemical relations of minerals made more thor- 
ough; the optical portion simplified, and the phenomena of radio- 
activity, fluorescence and phosphorescence described. To those 
who know the excellence of the earlier edition of this work these 
improvements will afford reason for greater use and higher appre- 
ciation. N. H w. 
Geology of theSbafter Silver Mining District, Presidio County, Texas. By 
J A. Udden Texas Mineral Survey, Bull. 8, 60 pp., 1904. 
The Shatter mining district supports the only successful silver 
mines of Texas. This region was studied by professor Udden and 
a report issued fully discussing the geologic conditions. Shaffer is 
located 19C miles southeast of El Paso, in the Chinati mountains. 
The sedimentary rocks are represented by Carboniferous and 
Cretaceous deposits; the former by the Cieneguita beds composed 
of 1,000 feet of conglomerates, shales and "mortar rocks"; which 
are succeeded by the Alta beds composed of 2,000 feet of dark 
shales and 1,500 feet of yellow sand, both carrying typical Coal 
Measures fauna; and the Cibolo beds which consist of 100 feet of 
marly shales and limestone masses. 133 feet of coarsely brecciated 
limestone, limestone (lower zone of sponge spicules) 85 feet, thin 
bedded zone (limestone) 470 feet, and capped with 650 feet of yel- 
low limestone. These three formations represent a cycle of depo- 
sition or series. No definite relation had 'been established between 
this section and the Guadaloupe region of the Permian. He states 
that some of the fossils from the yellow limestone seem to point to 
•its identity with the Guadaloupian rocks and there is some similar- 
ity in the stratigraphic succession; however, the fauna as a whole 
