166 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [APR. 23, 
Mr. Georce F. Kunz exhibited a diamond crystal, found 
near Atlanta, Ga.; an elongated octahedron, of three and one- 
eighth carats, with a yellow tinge. 
Mr. Seto E. MEEK communicated a paper,’ 
NOTES ON THE FISHES OF THE CAYUGA LAKE VALLEY. 
(Published in the Annals, Vol. IV.) 
Remarks were made by the PRESIDENT, Dr. O. P. HUBBARD, 
and Mr. L. E. CHITTENDEN. 
April 23, 1888. 
STaTED MERTING. 
The President, Pror. J. S. NEWBERRY, in the chair. 
A good audience present in the West Lecture Room of the 
Library Building, Columbia College. 
The third lecture of the Popular Lecture course was given by 
Pror. GEORGE E. Post, of Beirtit, Syria, on 
THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY OF SYRIA AND 
PALESTINE. 
The geographical region included in the above title is divided 
into five parallel strips, running north and south. The first of 
these is the coast. 
The sea-coast plain varies in width from fifteen miles to zero, 
and rises from the sea level to an elevation of 400 feet. The 
plain of Philistia, in the south, is its broadest portion. It nar- 
rows gradually until, at Carmel, it is not over a hundred yards in 
width to the base of the promontory. From Carmel it widens 
into the plain of Acre, which is about four miles broad, 
and which is continuous with the plain of Esdraélon, which 
bisects Palestine into northern and southern mountain chains. 
North of Acre it becomes gradually narrower, until at the ladder 
of Tyre and adjacent rocky promontories it disappears. North 
of these passes, which are almost as defensible as Thermopylae, 
the plain reappears, and is of width varying from zero or a few 
1 The paper was read by Mr. A. L. Ewing. 
