Trans. N. Y. Ac. Sct. © D4 Nov. 14, 
South American continents, in a course imperfectly parallel to that on 
the western border of these continents, with the gulf lying enclosed 
between these two great ranges. This axis has been the scene of 
violent volcanic action and has been supposed to mark the place of 
that mythical area of sunken land, styled Atlantis by the ancients. 
A tradition long current, recorded by Herodotus and others, points 
to a densely populated land west of Europe, covered with cities, and 
threatening the civilization of the Eastern hemisphere, which was 
punished by the gods by being sunk beneath the sea. According to 
the recent observations of an English geologist, Mr. Thomas Belt, this 
legend may have had some foundation in the former existence of a 
continent, now submerged beneath the Caribbean sea, through which 
the peaks represented by the Lesser Antilles constituted a mountain 
chain. Local disturbances have certainly affected this area, but we fail 
to find any evidence of corresponding disturbance in the Cretaceous 
strata of our southern States, except perhaps in continental elevations 
and depressions, Messrs. Guppy, Gabb, and others have studied the 
rocks of the region, but, up to this time, no one trained to the exam- 
ination of the difficult phenomena and problems under discussion. 
November 14, 1881. 
SECTION OF GEOLOGY. 
The President, Dr. J. S. NEWBERRY, in the Chair. 
Twenty-four persons present. 
A paper was read by Dr. Atexis A. JULIEN on 
THE EXCAVATION OF THE BED OF THE KAATERSKILL, N. Y. 
(Abstract.) 
This paper was supplementary to one read before the Academy two 
years ago, concerning the phenomena of erosion, glaciation, etc., in the 
Catskill Mountains, in the vicinity of the Kaaterskill Clove. 
flexure of Strata.—Prof. James Hall has indicated the existence of 
four lines of flexure, running from N.E, to S.W., the synclinals occupy- 
ing the summits of ranges, and Prof. Arnold Guyot locates one of these 
at Slide Mt. The dips at the entrance of the Clove vary from 8° to 
Io° to the W.N.W., becoming only 3° four miles to the westward, 
z, é., more nearly horizontal towards a shallow synclinal fold supposed 
to occupy Hunter Mt. 
One of the most interesting discoveries of Guyot was the linear 
series of three maxima of altitudes above 4000 teet, Slide Mt., Hunter 
Mt.,and Black Dome. The gentle flexure of the whole stratum required 
to produce this line of maxima may be shown as follows, in the range 
