Brewer.] 244 [January 20, 



elusion the speculations already advanced regarding the ancient 

 course of the Presumpscot River. 



[Note. — From certain points to which my attention was called by Mr. Mills, 

 I am led to believe with him, that in the case of the Ammoncongin slide the 

 movement was quite simultaneous; that the weight of the superincumbent 

 strata of clay and sand pressed out the semi-fluid mass laterally, the sunken 

 area settling with slight lateral motion excepting near the mouth, leaving the 

 sides nearly vertical; and that the ridges at present bordering the bottom of 

 the sunken space are the result of subsequent action.] 



Mr. W. H. Niles stated that some workmen recently en- 

 gaged in boring a well at Fort Warren, had discovered some 

 well preserved shells of Natica heros^ Venus mercenaria and 

 Cardita horealis, one hundred feet below the surface of the 

 earth, and just above the slate rock common in the vicinity. 

 He believed this to be the greatest depth from wbich such 

 remains had been drawn. 



January 20, 1869. 



Vice President Mr. T. T, Bouve in the chair. Forty-five 

 members present. 



The Vice President announced the death of Mr. John 

 Cassin, recently chosen a Corresponding Member. 



, Dr. T. M. Brewer addressed the Society as follows: — 



Me. Peesident: — 



With the deepest appreciation of the irreparable loss which 

 Amei-ican Science has sustained, even more than with an 

 overwhelming sense of personal bereavement and grie^ I 

 appear before you to-night to announce the death of one 

 who, by common consent, has been acknowledged to be the 

 first in rank among American ornithologists. John Cassin 



