276 The American Geologist. April. i893 
A Hyena and other Carnivora from Texas. (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Ill, 
1892, p. 326.) Prof. Cope announces a new genus from the Blanco beds 
(Pliocene) of Texas, which he has named Baroplmgiis, and the species 
dlversidens, which he concludes was "the scavenger of the Blanco 
Fauna;" also a new genus and species of a weasel, which he names 
Canimartes cumminsii. Canimai-tes is allied to Mustela; also he an- 
nounces a new cat provisionally referred to Felis Mllianus, about the 
size of the Cheetah, with feet shorter than any of the modern cats. 
COERESPONDElSrCE. 
The Movement of Muir GiiAciER. — In the December number of the 
Geologist appears the following statement by Prof. G. F. Wright: "In 
accounting for the apparent discrepancy [italics mine] between profes- 
sor Reid's measurements of the movement of Muir Glacier and my own, 
in your notice of his important work, attention should have been called 
to one other point, namely, that we did not measure the same portions 
of the glacier. Professor Reid measured the motion only so far out 
from the center as he could plant stakes; but there was a quarter of a 
mile or more in the middle which he found it impossible to reach. The 
reason why he could not reach it was that that was the most rapidly 
moving part where, consequently, the crevasses were impassable." 
This statement is based on a misapprehension, does not correspond 
with the facts, and hence calls for comment. Professor Wright has evi- 
dently misread Prof. Reid's statement of the case, and consequently 
magnifies the importance of that portion of the glacier that Reid's party 
did not cross. Professor Wright's remarks would lead one unacquainted 
with the ground to infer that this portion was all that was moving rap- 
idly and was deeply crevassed. He seems himself to share this belief. 
It is, however, far from being the correct one. He truly says that this 
part was impassable, and is the most rapidly moving part of the glacier. 
He fails to realize that the ice adjoining this impassable strip is itself so 
nearly impassable, that no sharp line of demarkation between that which 
is impassable and that which is not can be drawn. If professer Reid 
had not been so experienced at ice work that he was able to guide his 
party with masterly skill in the face of extraordinary difficulties, at least 
four of his flags could never have been posted where they were, and 
thrice as wide a strip of ice would have been regarded as impassable. 
On several occasions while setting out flags two hours hard work re- 
sulted in no greater advance than fifty feet ; once, indeed, resulting in a 
net loss. The difference between ice of that character and ice that is 
impassable is a microscopic one. The fact is that the swiftly moving, 
deeply crevassed portion of Muir glacier has a width of fully three- 
quarters of a mile, and nearly or quite two-thirds of that distance was 
covered by professor Reid's flags. In this portion the rate of motion in- 
