TRANSACTIONS. 



The eighteenth meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science was held at Manhattan, 

 in the rooms of the State Agricultural College, on the 10th, 11th and 12th of Novem- 

 ber, 1885. 



The following pages present such transactions relating to the business of the 

 Academy as are of popular interest, together with the papers furnished by their 

 authors, and approved by the Publication Committee. 



The committee on securing State geological survey reported as follows: 



Your committee beg to report that strenuous efforts were made to secure the passage of a bill pro- 

 viding for a geological survey of the State, by the last Legislature ; but their efforts were unsuccessful, 

 although there was much interest manifested in the subject. We would recommend that the effort be 

 continued at the next extra session. There is a popular demand for the work, as well as an economic 

 necessity. Detailed report, copies of bills, circulars, etc., have been deposited with the Secretary. 



A. H. Thompson, For the Committee. 



The following persons were elected for one year to the offices named: 



President — -E. L. Nichols. 



Vice Presidents — J. D. Parker, N. S. Goss. 



Secretary — E. A. Popenoe. 



Treasurer — I. D. Graham. 



Curators — F. W. Cragin, N. S. Goss, Geo. S. Chase, E. A. Popenoe, and A. H. 

 Thompson. 



Librarian — F. W. Cragin. 



The address of the first evening was given by the retiring President, Dr. R. J. 

 Brown, upon "Natural Gas;" and of the second, by Prof. E. L. Nichols, upon "The 

 Magic Lantern: Its History, and its Use in the Sciences." 



At the different sessions of the eighteenth meeting the following paiiers, among 

 others, were read: 



ON THE DISCOVERY OF A FOSSIL BIRD-TRACK IN THE DAKOTA 



SANDSTONE. 



BY PROF. F. H. SNOW, OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS. 



During the past two years Mr. E. P. West has been assisting the writer in the 

 collection of geological specimens for the University cabinets. In the month of 

 August, 1885, he was so fortunate as to discover, near Thompson's creek, in Ells- 

 worth county, Kansas, a single well-marked impression, which I believe to be a 

 genuine bird-track. The piece of rock containing the impression was picked out 

 from a pile of material which had been removed from a well excavation 44 feet in 

 depth. This well was sunk in the Dakota sandstone, and the geological horizon of 

 the bird-track is about 200 feet below the upper level of the Dakota rocks. The 

 horizon of the bird-track appears to be identical with that of a fine series of dicotyl- 

 edonous leaves obtained on Thompson's creek, at a distance of about a mile and a 

 half from the well. 



This impression appears to have been made by the left foot of some bird with 



