1898.] natural sciences of philadelphia. 203 



April 26. 

 The President, Samuel G. Dixon, M. D., in the Chair. 

 Twenty-six persons present. 



A paper entitled " Materials toward a Natural Classification of 

 the Cylindrelloid Snails," by Henry A. Pilsbry and E. G. Vanatta, 

 was presented for publication. 



Rock Inscriptions in Kauai, Hawaiian Islands. — Dr. Benja- 

 min Sharp exhibited a specimen of coquina received from Mr. J. 

 K. Farley of Kauai. He had visited Mr. Farley in 1893 with the 

 hope of seeing some rock inscriptions usually covered with sand. 

 An effort to uncover the rocks and expose the inscriptions had 

 then been unsuccessful, although the bed rock had been reached at 

 a depth of six feet. The following letter, accompanied by draw- 

 ings of the inscriptions, has recently been received : — 



Koloa, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands, July 13th, 1897. 

 Dr. Benj. Sharp, 



Dear Sir: — When you were here in October, 1893, I promised 

 you that I would send you any new information that I might obtain 

 regarding the figures cut into the sandstone 1 ledge at Keoneloa, also 

 diagrams of them if I ever saw them again. 



On June 15th a native fisherman told me that the drawings were 

 exposed to view at low tide. I went to Keoneloa June 16th, 17th, 

 18th, 19th and 21st, and send you herewith, in another package, 

 the result of the visits. On the last date I could do nothing but 

 try cutting the rock with a hatchet and an old native stone adze, 

 as a high surf was fast covering the ledge again with sand. 



With a hatchet one could, I think, make a four foot figure in 

 about two hours, steady work ; with the adze it would take at least 

 six times as long, and use up a number of such tools. Most of the 

 figures look as if they had been cut with a semi-pointed implement 

 like a rounded cold chisel. With the corner of the stone adze I was 

 able to make about the same kind of a cut. A whirling motion 

 that I noticed the waves as they ran off the rock gave to the sand, 

 lodged it in the cuts and this may have worn the cutting into the 

 sort of rounded pockets noticed. 



I had a talk, June 17th, with an old native woman named 

 Kauila, who has lived near Keoneloa for many years. She said : — 

 " I first saw the pictures when I was about thirteen years old (that 

 was in 1848). I went to see them with my school-teacher and his 

 other scholars and two Roman Catholic priests. My teacher's 

 name was Alexandro, a Frenchman. He was the first Roman 



1 The rock is coquina, not sandstone. 



