128 Personal and Scientific News. 
That Excellent Monthly, The American Naturalist is 
for some unfortunate reason a little belated this year. Its 
March number reached its subscribers about the first of July. 
The proposition of Major Powell, to construct large res- 
ervoirs in the Rocky mountain region for the storage of the 
surplus water of the Spring months has much to commend it. 
The water that simply runs to waste at a season of the year 
when it is not needed, could be drawn upon during the rainless 
months of summer and made to fertilize large areas of the 
neighboring plains that are now practically a desert. In view 
however, of the recent Johnstown disaster the scheme of stor- 
ing large volumes of water in artificial lakes excites in many 
minds more or less distrust. There are no engineering diffi- 
culties in the way of constructing dams of adequate strength 
for all ordinary emergencies. The difficulties in the way of 
maintenance however are not easily met owing to the impossi- 
bility of knowing at all times where and in what way and to 
just what extent the structure is being weakened by the oper- 
ation of natural and probably unlooked for causes. A slight 
earthquake or flood of unprecedented violence may without 
a moment's warning, precipitate the whole flood of pent up 
waters on the valley below. Such reservoirs might last for 
centuries, and yet it must be admitted that they are an ever 
present menace to life and property. A recent number of 
Garden and Forest raises the note of warning. 
The Legislature of Missouri at its last session enacted a 
law authorizing a geological survey of the state. The law se- 
lects a commission of four distinguished gentlemen, from dif- 
ferent parts of the state, including the Governor of the com- 
monwealth, to initiate the survey,appoint its chief officer and 
select its headquarters. It particularly specifies that the sur- 
vey shall not be connected with or controlled by any institu- 
tion of learning. An appropriation of $10,000 a year for two 
years was made for use in carrying out its provisions. It is 
gratifying to know that the work so well begun by Shumard, 
Swallow and Broadhead is now likely to be carried on to its 
completion. 
Mr. Warren Upham of the U. S. Geological Survey, will 
spend the summer in completing the work of tracing out the 
boundaries of the glacial lake whose ancient bed he discover- 
ed while at work upon the Minnesota survey and which he 
named lake Agassiz. He finds the lake-beach continuous and 
clearly marked. Its basin covers an area six hundred miles 
in length and from thirty to three hundred miles in width and 
now includes several lakes among which are Rainy lake and 
the Lake of the Woods. 
Dr. Alexader Winchell is engaged upon the study of 
the Cretaceous fossils preparatory to writing a monogram up- 
on the subject for the IJ. S. Geological Survey. 
