(Review of Qiecent Geological Literature. 257 
This is an important record of early geographical exploration. It brings 
to daylight a large amount of itinerary which has been buried hitherto 
in the archives of the Crown Land Department of Ontario. David Thomp- 
son crossed Minnesota in 1798, and discovered Turtle lake which, like 
Beltrami twenty-five years later, he regarded as the source of the Missis- 
sippi. He also reached the Missouri river, and the Columbia which he 
descended to its mouth July, 15th, 181 1. 
Contributions to the paleontology of Brazil, comprising descriptions of Cre- 
taceous invertebrate fossils. By Charle.s A. White. 4to, 273 pp. 28 
plates. (From vol. vii of Archivos do Museu Nacional do Rio de Jan- 
eiro, 1887.) 
This large document, which has a parallel Portuguese translation 
by Mr. Orville A. Derby, reflects credit on both North and South 
America, and is a renewed proof of the friendly interest of the Brazilian 
Emperor in natural science. It is based on collections made by the geo- 
logical survey of Brazil under the late Prof. Charles Fred Hartt, but 
is issued by Mr. Orville A. Derby, director of the geological section of 
the Brazilian National museum, who was appointed to preserve the results 
of the survey after the lamented death of professor Hartt. The letter- 
press was done at Rio Janeiro, but the plates were lithographed at Phil- 
adelphia by Sinclair. 
The work describes 57 new species of conchifers, 77 of gasteropoda, 8 
of cephalopoda, 5 of mollusca and 12 of echinoderma. They are all re- 
ferred to the Cretaceous (Neocomian) age, although they exhibit a com- 
posite character, partaking of the Jurassic and of the Tertiary. Three 
new genera of gasteropods and one of echinoids, are proposed. The 
former, Orz'illia, Cylindritella, Cyprceactcron are proposed by Dr. White, 
and the other Heteropodia, by Prof. P. de Loriol. 
Some noteworthy facts are brought out concerning the relation of this 
Brazilian fauna with the Cretaceous fauna of other parts of the world. 
It is shown that this fauna has surprisingly little in common with the 
Cretaceous of North America; somewhat more with that of Europe; 
while its affinity' with the Cretaceous fauna of southern India is conspic- 
uously observable. Five species are identified with Indian forms as pub- 
lished by Stoliczka; and three or four others are either identical, or very 
closely allied, species. 
One species of Aucella is described, which is only the second discovery 
of this genus in the southern hemisphere; the other being A. plicata 
Zittel, from New England. 
A small collection of fossils from the Bahia group further from the 
coast are fresh-water types, and have a recent aspect, illustrating, 
as Dr. White remarks, the fact that living fresh-water types have 
come down to us from remote geological periods almost unchanged. 
Prof. Cope has examined the vertebrate remains foimd in these Cre- 
taceous beds, and has referred them to the Fox Hills group of the 
western United States, and those of the fresh-water Bahia group to 
the Laramie. Mr. Derby has given a tabulated grouping and discus- 
