98 Kansas Academy of science. 



Sulphate of soda, Trace 



I'm arbonate of lime, 14.288 



Bicarbonate of iron, 1.006 



Bicarbonate of magnesia, 305 



Silica, 951 



Organic matter, 1.166 



Total solids, 109.132 



Sulphuretted hydrogen, Trace 



Carbonic acid gas, Trace 



Temperature, 67i° 



This may be classed as a sulpho-saline water, containing borax as a rare ingredient. 

 On comparison with other waters, we find that it is similar to some springs in Kentucky, 

 only not as strong. These do not contain borax. The Fort Scott w"ater is probably a 

 mixture of streams from different depths. 



NOTES ON THE FOSSIL JAW OF BISON, FROM THE PLIOCENE OF 



NORTON COUNTY. 



BY ROBERT HAY. 



Over a year ago we picked up a jaw, semi-fossilized, in the talus from bluffs in which 

 the line of separation, or rather contact, of the Loup Fork Miocene and the Equus beds 

 of Pliocene above, was not difficult to trace. It was therefore not possible to determine 

 which of the two formations yielded the bone, or whether it might not have been in the 

 soil at the top. The remarkable wearing of two of the teeth led us to preserve the 

 specimen, and Dr. Turner, who was with us at the time, very soon afterwards found 

 another jaw with the same wear on the teeth, and that he dug out out of the Pliocene. 

 Drawings and descriptions of both fossils have been submitted to Professor Cope sepa- 

 rately, and he pronounces each to be bison. The remarkable wearing of the teeth we 

 have thought pointed to some habit of browsing and pulling of the branches of trees, 

 but Professor Cope suggests that it was caused by eating herbage, mixed with sand and 

 gravel, before the other teeth were cut. It is probably all that is left of the most ancient 

 Kansas buffalo. The following are the dimensions of the first-found specimen, in milli- 

 metres : 



RIGHT MANDIBULAR RAMUS OF BISON. 



Mm. . Mm. 



Total length, 400 



Total height, 230 



Height at posterior extremity, 210 



Breadth, exclusive of teeth, 67 



Breadth, inside, 74 



Length of line of teeth at base 45 



Length of tooth No. 1, at surface, 11 



Length of tooth Ho. 2, at surface, 15 



Length of tooth No. 3, at surface, 16 



Length of tooth No. 4, at surface 23 



Length of tooth No. 5, at surface, 26 



Length of tooth No. 6, at surface 3S 



Height of No. 6, 23 



Width of No. 6, 16 



Thickness of ramus, 36 



A NEW METHOD OF STUDYING ABSORPTION SPECTRA. 



BY W. S. FRANKLIN. 



This method is the one used by Prof. Edw. L. Nichols in studying the light emitted 

 by glowing platinum,' and in his measurements of the reflection spectra of pigments.f 

 Figure 1 in the accompanying plate represents the slit of the spectrophotometer, with 

 attachments, as modified for the quantitative study of absorption spectra. 



♦American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. XVIII, Dec. 1879. 

 t American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. XXVIII, Nov. 1884. 



