60 The American Geologist. July, 1895 
two or in all throe of the last named localities, and ihejr fossil insects 
are grouped together and named the Gosiute fauna. Both the Florissant 
and Gosiute beds have been regarded as Oligocene: but their unlike 
faunas show that they differ somewhat in age, although it cannot yet 
be decided which is the older. 
From the Euroi)ean Tertiary strata only 141 species of this group 
have been discovered. Nine others are known in the European Pleisto- 
cene, while our continent has thus far only one; Pleistocene s[)ecies, this 
being from the interglacial beds of Scarboro, Ontario. Another species 
is discovered by Mr. J. li. Tyrrell in the Cretaceous Fort Pierre shales 
on the Assiniboine river, making a total of 1!»:5 known fossil American 
Rhynchophora. These all are specifically distinct from any found fos- 
sil in Europe, and from all known living species. 
Notwithstanding the universal change in sp(>cies from the Tertiary 
to the present time, the author aflirms that "there has been but little 
important change in the insect fauna of the world since the beginning 
of tlie Tertiary epoch. In the earlier Tertiaries wt; not only possess in 
profusion representatives of every one of the orders of insects, but every 
dominatinu' family type which exists to-day has been recognized in the 
rocks; even many of ihe families which have now but a meager repre- 
sentation have also been discovered, and tlunigh many extinct genera 
have been recognized, no higher groups, with a single exception or two, 
have been founded upon extinct forms." w. u. 
.1 Mti/nndof Topof/raphie MetJiodx. ]>y HiiNKV Gannett, Chief Topog- 
rapher. Monograph xxii, U. S. Geol. Survey, 189;}. Pases xiv, HOO: 
with 3G mathematical tables, 18 plates, and 14 figures in the text. Price, 
$1.00.) The first 180 pages contain a description of the topographic 
work, instruments and methods used by the U. S. Cieological Survey in 
its task of preparing a topographic ma]) of the United States. The first 
chapter very concisely notices the several government and state surveys 
by which portions of the country have been previously mapped, and 
tile general plan of the present work. The second chapter treats of as- 
tronomic determinations of position: the third, of the primary Iriangu- 
lation; the fourth, of the secondary triangulation, traverse work, baro- 
metric determination of bights, etc.: the fifth, of the field sketching, 
with a detailed review of the geologic agencies giving origin to topo- 
graphical features, as uplifts, volcanism, sedimentation, stream, wave 
and subaerial erosion, glacial deposition and erosion, and wind action; 
and the sixth and final chapter relates to the office work of drafting. 
Streams, lakes, marshes, and the sea, are drafted and printed in blue; 
the culture delineations and lettering are in l)la('k: and the contours in 
brown (burnt sienna). 
The second half of the volume is a series of tables used in the reduc- 
tion of astronomic observations for position, of triangulation. of bight 
measurements, and other operations ct)nnected with the making of 
topographic maps. This work was primarily intended for the informa- 
tion of the men engaged on the national survev: but it has been found 
