INSTITUTE NOTES. 



One of the departments of human knowledge contemplated 

 for study under the Constitution of the Institute is that of 

 Local History. For this reason it may not be amiss, now and 

 then, to devote a number of the Proceedings to that line of 

 inquirj^. We hope our more strictly scientific readers will not 

 feel the perusal of this number altogether a waste of time. 



The article on the "Indian Rock" in this issue of the 

 Proceedings calls attention to a very interesting relic of our 

 predecessors in this vicinity. The rock can hardly be any- 

 thing but the work of the Indian, as no white man would 

 waste his time on such a laborious piece of work that promised 

 no financial advantage. The rock has been, no doubt, noticed 

 before in the local press, but we think this is the first time a 

 photograph of it has been published. The photograph of the 

 rock was taken by John W. Palmer, of Media, who likewise 

 took a number of other views presented in this numl)er of the 

 Proceedings. 



The museum of the Institute has been enriched by the 

 donation of the fine mineral collection formerly belonging to 

 John T. Reynolds, a deceased member. The collection is par- 

 ticularly valuable by reason of the beautiful groups of quartz 

 crystals which it contains. 



T. Chalkley Palmer, President of the Institute, recently 

 presented to the Institute a numl)er of typical specimens of 

 Indian arrow and spear heads and Civil War relics, collected 

 in ^'irginia. Likewise he is the donor of some fine examples 

 of " slickensides '" from the serpentine c[uari'y in Willistown 

 Township, Chester County, near the junction of the West 

 Chester Road and the Street Road. 



The unusual luxuriance of "poison vine," Rhus Toxico- 

 dnidnvi, is very evident this >ear, and probably correlated 

 with the cold, damp and tardy Spring, which sort of weather 

 seems verv suitable for certain kinds of vegetation. 



