296 American Scientific Asiociation. 



and volcanos. The latter although dependent on the heat of the 

 earth's nucleus, are not directly connected with the central fire. 



LITHOLOGY OF VERMONT. 



Mr. C. H. Hitchcock read a paper upon the so-called talcose 

 schists of Vermont. The geological surveys of the various states 

 have made known the existence of a broad belt of rocks from 

 Canada to Georgia, consisting of green schists denominated 

 talcose, associated with gneiss. This implies the presence of the 

 mineral talc, which contains a large per cent of magnesia. He 

 would not affirm the conclusion at which he had arrived applied 

 to the whole belt, but that probably the character of the whole 

 was the same — aluminous instead of magnesian. Mr. Sterry Hunt 

 of Montreal had analyzed some of these rocks in their northern 

 extension into Canada, and decided that there was no nia°;nesia 

 present, and that talc was replaced by pyroplryilite or phole- 

 rite, and had proposed to call them nacreous schists, instead of 

 talcose. The rock was originally clay slate. Mr. Hitchcock 

 offered several analyses of these rocks in Vermont, which were 

 made for him by Mr. G. G. Barker of Boston, whence he concluded 

 that there was no magnesia present, but that they were hy- 

 drous silicates of alumina with feldspar. One of the speci- 

 mens from Pownal, Vt., was interesting as affording the composi- 

 ton of dsysintribite and of parophite, a mineral found in certain 

 rocks in Canada by Mr. Hunt. 



An analysis of a sandstone belonging to the Oneida conglome- 

 rate was also given, which went to show that some of the talcose 

 schists were formed from sandstone probably of that age. 



THE FLORA OF JAPAN AND NORTHEASTERN AMERICA. 



Prof. Asa Gray, gave a theoretical explanation of the identity 

 or similarity existing between the flora of Japan and that of the 

 northeastern part of North America. In the beginning, the speak- 

 er said that many plants supposed heretofore to be found only in 

 the northeastern part of North Ameria had lately been found indi- 

 genous to Japan, and instanced the poison ivy, the fox grape, choke 

 cherry, sweet cicely and ginseng as examples. Among shrubby 

 plants our poison dog-wood has a prototype in the varnish tree of 

 Japan. Closely allied species generally occur in the same, or con- 

 tiguous localities, but here are identical species found on opposite 

 sides of the globe, and the question naturally arises, what bearing 



