﻿ACADEMY 
  OF 
  SCIENCES. 
  41 
  

  

  The 
  President, 
  in 
  remarking 
  upon 
  the 
  suhject 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Lick's 
  gift 
  

   to 
  the 
  Academy, 
  mentioned 
  the 
  sum 
  of 
  -1200,000 
  as 
  being 
  needed 
  

   to 
  erect 
  a 
  suitable 
  building, 
  and 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  same 
  when 
  com- 
  

   pleted 
  ; 
  and 
  expressed 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  the 
  necessary 
  amount 
  can 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  specified 
  in 
  Mr. 
  Lick's 
  deed. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Ilewston 
  referred 
  to 
  a 
  parasite 
  in 
  a 
  Ilaliotis 
  shell, 
  from 
  Pig- 
  

   eon 
  Point, 
  which 
  had 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  officinal 
  sponge 
  attached 
  

   to 
  it. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Davidson, 
  in 
  referring 
  to 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  at 
  a 
  previous 
  meet- 
  

   ing 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Willey, 
  on 
  the 
  gravels 
  of 
  Placer 
  County, 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   writer 
  thought 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  w^ater 
  alone 
  that 
  caused 
  the 
  

   gravel. 
  Prof. 
  Davidson 
  thought 
  that 
  the 
  occasional 
  overflows 
  of 
  tu- 
  

   faceous 
  lava 
  had 
  blocked 
  the 
  river 
  and 
  caused 
  new 
  channels, 
  which 
  

   were 
  again 
  similarly 
  blocked, 
  and 
  opened 
  ; 
  or 
  that 
  glacial 
  action 
  had 
  

   aided 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  causing 
  such 
  large 
  deposits 
  of 
  "cement" 
  and 
  

   partially 
  worn 
  gravel. 
  A 
  chemical 
  analysis 
  Avas 
  needed 
  to 
  determine 
  

   the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  cement." 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Willey 
  said 
  he 
  meant 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  by 
  water 
  alone, 
  but 
  spoke 
  

   of 
  the 
  immense 
  deposits, 
  and 
  could 
  not 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  ancient 
  river 
  

   system 
  was 
  so 
  clearly 
  marked 
  out 
  as 
  was 
  supposed. 
  He 
  Avas 
  at 
  a 
  

   loss 
  to 
  tell 
  hoAV 
  the 
  cement 
  could 
  be 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  mere 
  action 
  of 
  

   rivers. 
  Mr. 
  Hanks 
  had 
  examined 
  the 
  cement 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  

   contained 
  the 
  elements 
  of 
  granite. 
  A 
  reason 
  of 
  its 
  formation 
  might 
  

   be 
  found 
  in 
  glacial 
  action. 
  Another 
  point 
  he 
  noticed 
  was, 
  the 
  total 
  

   disappearance 
  of 
  everything 
  but 
  quartz 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

   The 
  cement 
  may 
  possibly 
  represent 
  the 
  pulverized 
  granite. 
  Many 
  

   forces 
  had 
  been 
  at 
  work. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Davidson 
  thought 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  cement 
  should 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  de- 
  

   composed 
  quartz, 
  we 
  could 
  account 
  for 
  it 
  by 
  glacial 
  action 
  ; 
  but 
  

   how 
  can 
  Ave 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  abundance 
  of 
  rounded 
  pebbles 
  ? 
  

   Prof. 
  Whitney's 
  determinations 
  of 
  the 
  elevations 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  

   gravel 
  deposits 
  above 
  the 
  American, 
  and 
  other 
  rivers, 
  had 
  been 
  

   plotted 
  in 
  sections, 
  and 
  exhibited 
  an 
  almost 
  identical 
  slope 
  for 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  river 
  beds 
  Avith 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  American, 
  

   and 
  other 
  rivers 
  ; 
  although 
  the 
  positions 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  Avere 
  from 
  

   1,200 
  to 
  1,500 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  former. 
  

  

  The 
  President, 
  for 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  E. 
  Durand, 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  (translation 
  

   from 
  the 
  Archives 
  Neerlandaises 
  of 
  Harlem, 
  by 
  H. 
  Vogelsang 
  and 
  

  

  