Personal and Scientific News. 265 
A very full description is given of the outer and inner characters of 
the shells of this genus, and among other points it is to be noted that 
Obolus qiieuHtedti (the reference of which toObolushas been questioned 
by Hall and others) is accepted as a true and even typical example of 
the genus, being rated as a variety of O. apollinis. The genus Obolus 
is thus compared with Lingula and Obolella. 
A full description of the different species of Obolus, as understood by 
Michwitz, is then given and several new species and varieties described. 
The following is the arrangement: 
Sub-genus Euobolus (n. s. g.) contains Obolus apollinis with three 
varieties, O. triangularis (n. sp.) and one variety, O. panderi, O. 
schmidti, O. eichwaldi O. valborthi, O. elegans. 
Sub-genus Schmidtia (Volb. gen.) contains O. celatus Volb., and two 
varieties, O. obtusus (n. sp.) and six varieties, O. acuminatus (n. sp.) 
and three varieties, O. crassus (n. sp.j and one variety. 
Sub-genus Thysanotus (n. s. g.) contains O. siluricus Eichw. 
Sub-genus Leptunbolon (n. s. g.) has O. linguaformis (n. sp.) and one 
variety. 
Sub-genus Acrites (Volb. gen.) has O. antiquissimics and one vari- 
ety. 
This extensive and important work (216 pages, 4-to) is illustrated with 
three tables of finely executed figures, and seven cuts. g. f. m. 
The Geological Structure of the Extra-Australian Artesian Basins. 
By A. GiBB Maitland. (Extr. from Proc. Roy. Soc, Queensland, vol. 
XII.) This paper, by the assistant geologist of the Geological Survey of 
Queensland, is devoted to an account of the artesian basins of the 
United States. The numerous quotations relate, naturally, to the west- 
ern regions, the arid regions of Wyoming, the Dakotas, and northwest- 
ern Texas. At the same time some reference is made to the New Jersey 
artesian wells, and others of the Atlantic coastal plain. There are no 
original observations, the object of the paper being to review, for con- 
venient reference by Australian students of artesig,n waters, what has 
been accomplished outside the Island Continent. j. f. j. 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
Joseph Le Conte sailed from New York on September 2d 
for Southampton. 
Mr. H. F. Bain, Assistant State Geologist of Iowa, spent 
three weeks in September in northern Minnesota, in connec- 
tion with a party of the Minnesota survey, who were review- 
ing some points of structural geology in the Archean and in 
the Animikie. 
