130 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 



certain, yet they are sufficient to show the prevalence of an unusual climate even 

 there. Beginning with Central and Western Asia, we have notice of military ex- 

 peditions on the Persian Gulf being stopped for want of water in March, owing to 

 the excessive drought of the early winter and spring months. Subscriptions had 

 also been started in England to provide food for the Jews, owing to an antici- 

 pated famine on account of the failure of the rains in Syria. From Europe our 

 data are more certain. There the early part of the winter was marked by an 

 unusual degree of warmth, the thermometer for many days in the early part of 

 January being 10° and 12° above the mean temperature. On the Atlantic I 

 have no definite data, but from information furnished me by gentlemen who 

 crossed early in January, I believe a Polar current was prevailing there. In 

 the Eastern States the winter was unusually mild, whilst from the Pacific Coast 

 to the other side of the Rocky Mountains, a cold northerly current prevailed ; 

 from here across the whole of the Pacific a warm south current existed. Nor 

 has this abnormal distribution of the atmospheric currents yet ceased, as the low 

 temperature and prevalence of northeast winds on the Pacific Ocean in June and 

 July, and the unusually high summer temperatures, both in this country and 

 Europe, evidently prove. These high summer temperatures on the continent 

 are probably not so much dependent on the direction of the winds as on that 

 condition of the atmosphere by which the mixing of the upper and lower cur- 

 rents is prevented ; and this is much more likely to be the case when the Polar 

 and Equatorial currents run in broad belts. In fact, to this absence of perpen- 

 dicular movement in the atmospheric currents, the extremes, both of heat and 

 cold, may in a great measure be attributed. 



Gregory Yale read an extended paper on the subject of the In- 

 dian mounds of the Potrero, one of which was examined a few 

 months since by several members of the Academy. 



Mr. Yale exhibited a diagram of the mound. He stated 

 that the paper was not complete, and asked permission to complete 

 it, and to arrange in order the specimens collected, so that they 

 could be more satisfactorily examined by the members. Mr. Yale 

 also announced his intention to prepare at some future time a com- 

 plete history of his observations on mounds in this country. He 

 thought a systematic series of observations on the subject of mounds 

 might be made with great advantage, which would result in correct 

 conclusions as to their origin and purposes. 



Dr. Saxe, of Santa Chira, made some interesting remarks re- 

 garding the subsidence of the Santa Clara Valley and the artesian 

 wells of San Jose. He incidentally stated that fish occasionally 

 came from the wells, and sometimes sawdust flowed out with the 

 water. He was satisfied that the fish did not come originally from 



