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  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  a 
  curious 
  insect 
  found 
  running 
  on 
  dry 
  sand, 
  among 
  the 
  debris 
  left 
  

   by 
  the 
  tide 
  near 
  Fort 
  Point. 
  

  

  Donations 
  to 
  the 
  Library 
  : 
  Monatsbericht 
  der 
  Konig. 
  Preuss. 
  Akad. 
  Wis- 
  

   senschaftcn 
  zu 
  Berlin, 
  May, 
  1873, 
  and 
  Jan. 
  1874 
  ; 
  Archiv 
  fur 
  Naturgeschichte 
  

   Viertes 
  Heft, 
  Berlin, 
  1873 
  ; 
  Canadian 
  Naturalist, 
  Vol. 
  YIL, 
  No. 
  4, 
  Montreal, 
  

   1874 
  ; 
  American 
  Naturalist, 
  April, 
  1874 
  ; 
  California 
  Horticulturist, 
  April, 
  

   1874 
  ; 
  Nature, 
  Vol. 
  IX., 
  Nos. 
  228, 
  229 
  ; 
  Popular 
  Science 
  Monthly, 
  April 
  ; 
  

   American 
  Journal 
  of 
  Science 
  and 
  Art, 
  April, 
  1874 
  ; 
  Descriptive 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  

   Photographs 
  of 
  tlie 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  the 
  Territories, 
  1869 
  and 
  1873 
  ; 
  

   Bulletin 
  Minnesota 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Science, 
  1874 
  ; 
  Proc. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sciences 
  of 
  

   Philadelphia, 
  Oct., 
  Nov., 
  and 
  Dec, 
  1873; 
  Engineering 
  and 
  Mining 
  Journal, 
  

   Nos. 
  12, 
  13, 
  14, 
  and 
  15, 
  Vol. 
  XVII. 
  ; 
  Bulletin 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  and 
  

   Geographical 
  Survey 
  of 
  the 
  Territories, 
  No. 
  2, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C, 
  1870. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Fourgeaud 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  entitled 
  " 
  General 
  scientific 
  hypo- 
  

   thesis, 
  as 
  an 
  introduction 
  to 
  a 
  work 
  on 
  evolution 
  of 
  the 
  organic 
  and 
  

   inorganic 
  world." 
  A 
  resolution 
  was 
  passed 
  by 
  the 
  Academy, 
  re- 
  

   questing 
  Dr. 
  Fourgeaud 
  to 
  deliver 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  his 
  paper 
  to 
  the 
  Secre- 
  

   tary, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  matter 
  will 
  not 
  be 
  lost, 
  if 
  not 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  

   contemplated 
  work. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  an 
  abstract 
  of 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  : 
  

  

  On 
  Shell 
  Mounds 
  in 
  Oakland, 
  California. 
  

  

  BY 
  A. 
  S. 
  HUDSON, 
  M. 
  D. 
  

  

  Some 
  two 
  miles 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  City 
  Hall, 
  Oakland, 
  on 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  bay, 
  

   are 
  conspicuous 
  two 
  tumuli, 
  which 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  shells. 
  They 
  are 
  situated 
  

   on 
  a 
  low, 
  level 
  tract 
  of 
  alluvial 
  land. 
  On 
  one 
  of 
  these, 
  which 
  is 
  some 
  300 
  feet 
  

   in 
  diameter 
  at 
  base, 
  the 
  dwelling 
  house 
  of 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  stands, 
  surrounded 
  with 
  

   shrubbery. 
  The 
  shells 
  are 
  so 
  much 
  decayed 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  that 
  plants 
  and 
  

   trees 
  find 
  perpetual 
  moisture 
  and 
  grow 
  without 
  irrigation. 
  A 
  well 
  30 
  feet 
  

   deep 
  sunk 
  in 
  this 
  ancient 
  pile 
  passed 
  through 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  shells 
  12 
  feet 
  deep 
  be- 
  

   fore 
  the 
  native 
  black 
  soil 
  was 
  reached. 
  A 
  vault 
  dug 
  10 
  feet 
  went 
  through 
  

   shells 
  interpersed 
  with 
  layers 
  of 
  ashes 
  and 
  charcoal. 
  Back 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  

   house 
  is 
  a 
  bold 
  tumulus 
  of 
  more 
  strength 
  of 
  feature. 
  It 
  is 
  within 
  a 
  few 
  yards 
  

   of 
  the 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  bay 
  ; 
  the 
  shore 
  or 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mound 
  is 
  thickly 
  belted 
  

   with 
  willow 
  trees. 
  No 
  deep 
  exploration 
  into 
  this 
  mound 
  has 
  been 
  made, 
  but 
  it 
  

   seems 
  composed 
  wholly 
  of 
  shells, 
  a 
  few 
  animal 
  bones, 
  and 
  occasional 
  fragments 
  

   of 
  charcoal. 
  It 
  it 
  240 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  circular 
  in 
  shape, 
  trun- 
  

   cated 
  at 
  the 
  summit, 
  which 
  is 
  150 
  feet 
  in 
  diameter. 
  Without 
  accurate 
  meas- 
  

   urement, 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  35 
  to 
  40 
  feet 
  high. 
  From 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  runs 
  

   an 
  arm 
  or 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  pan-handle, 
  270 
  feet 
  long, 
  and 
  originally 
  5 
  or 
  6 
  feet 
  high. 
  

   About 
  two 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  this 
  pan-handle 
  has 
  been 
  scraped 
  off 
  by 
  the 
  

  

  