Vot.. XXV. No. 1.] 
POPULAH SCIEIN'CE NEWS. 
PLAN FOR STUDY OF HISTORICAL 
GEOLOGY. 
We wish to make this department practically 
lielpful to every Chapter and member of the 
A. A., as well as to the general student of soieuee. 
We therefore make room for the following sclied- 
ule of study recently adopted by the Barton Chap- 
ter, 29, (B), Boston, Mass. It is full of hints and 
suggestions which can be worked out in any 
branch of natural science. 
FLAX FOR STUDY OF UlSTOEICAL GEOLOGT. 
The following books are recommended for gen- 
eral use throughout tlie course : Text-Book of 
Geology, by A. Geikie; Elements of Geology and 
Coinpend of Geology, by Jos. Le Conte; Manual 
of Geology, by J. D. Dana ; Ancient Life-History 
of the Earth, by H. A. Xicholsou; Geological 
History of Plants. l)y J. W. Dawson. 
Oct. 6. iNTROUt CTIOX AND OUTLINE. 
AZOIC EliA. 
Oct. 20. R. P.Williams. From the unknown to 
the known. The earth's origin. 
LITERATURE. 
Interior of Earth. Le Conte. Amer. Geol. July, 
1889, p. 38. 
Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Mountain Building. 
Whitney. 
Tliompson, Xature, Vol. XIV., p. 426. 
World Life. Alex. Wiuchell. 
Mineral Physiology and Physiography, T. Sterry 
Hunt. 
EOZOIC ERA. 
Nov. 3. Arch^an Age. Mrs. Boyd. Our old- 
est known rocks. Eruptive and metamorphic. 
Traces of life. 
LITEEATUBE. 
Azoic System. Whitney and \\'adsworth. Mus. 
Comp. Zool. V^IL, p. 231. 
Genesis of Crystalline Rocks. T. S. Hunt. Amer. 
Xat. XVIli., p. 60.5. 
Is there a Iluronian Group? living. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. (3d), XXXIV., pp. 204, 248, 30.5. 
Origin of Lake Superior Iron Ores. Irving. 
Amer. Jour. Sci. (.3d), XXXII., p. 255. 
Copper-bearing Series. Irving. Monograph, V., 
U. S. Geol. Survey, 1883. 
Origin of Crystalline Schists. Williams. A. A. 
A. S. XXXIII., p. 405. 
Nov. 17. Taconic Period. Mrs. Fuller. The 
link between the crystalline and sedimentary 
rocks. First fossils. Carrara statuary marble 
and itacolumite found only here. 
LITERATURE. 
fC. D. Walcott. Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d). XXXV., 
p. 229. 
iTaconic of Europe and North America. Marcou. 
Amer. Geol., June, 1890, p. 357. 
?Taconic System. T. Sterry Hunt. Amer. Nat. 
XV., p. 494. 
Shawmut Group. W. O. Crosby. 
Taconic Stratigraphy and Fossils. Dana. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. XXXII., p. 236. 
paleozoic era. 
Dec. 1 . Cambrian Age. Mrs. Lowery. Prim- 
tordial Period. Acadian, Georgia, and I'otsdani 
lEpoclis. Low life abundant. Shallow seas. 
LITERATURE. 
j.Braintree. Dodge. Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d). XXV., 
p. 65. 
^Kocks of Eastern Massachusetts. Rogers. A. A. 
A. S., Vol. III. 
Cambrian Fauna of North America. Walcott. 
U. S. Geol. Survey Bulletins, 10 and 30. 
Primordial Quartzite. Winchell. Amer. Geol., 
Vol. I., No. 3. 
Cambrian Rocks of Nortli Anii'riea. Hunt. Amer. 
Nat. XVIII., p. 409. 
Dec. 15. Ordovician Age. Miss Cherrington. 
Transition period from shallow to deep seas. 
Braehiopods eliaracteristic of tliis age. Grapto- 
lites have cups on both sides. 
LITERATURE. 
History of Quebec Group. T. Sterry Hunt. Amer. 
Geol., Feb. 1890, p. 80. 
Cincinnati Rocks. Nelson W. Perry. Amer. 
Geol., Dec. 1889, p. 327. 
Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d), IV., p. 133. 
Minnesota .State Survey, Vol. II. 
■Tan. 5. Silurian Age. 3Irs. JRamsay. In life 
a gradual transition ; a few fish appear. All spe- 
cies of Ordovician fossils disappfear before close of 
.Silurian. 
LITERATURE. 
Silurian Age of Appalachians. Bradley. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. (3d), IX., p. 279. 
Limestone, East of Catskills. Davis. Mus. Comp. 
Zool. VII., p. 311. 
Helderberg Limestone. Davis. Proc. Bos. Soc. 
Nat. Hist. XXII., p. ,339. 
Green Mountain Gneisses of Silurian. Dana. A. 
A. A. S. XXII., (187.3), p. 22. 
Jan. 19. Devonian Age. Mrs. Moore. Age 
of fishes. Insects and land i)lants appear. Great 
oil horizon of the world. Line between the old 
red sandstone below and the new red sandstone 
above. 
LITERATURE. 
Old Red Sandstone. Miller. 
Paheontology of Devonian. Science, II., p. 836. 
Devoiiian of North America. Williams. A. A. 
A. S. XXXVL, (1887), p. 207. 
10th Vol. 10th Census U. S. Peckham. 
Feb. 2. Carboniferous Age. Miss Little. 
Coal plants and Amphibians. Insects, crusta- 
ceans, and mollusca plenty. 
LITERATURE. 
Carboniferous in Massachusetts. Crosby and Bar- 
ton. Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d), XX., p. 416. 
Conditions of Coal Formation. Newbury. Sci., 
L, p. 89. 
Coal of Rhode Island. Silliman. Amer. Jour. 
Sci., XL, p. 78. 
Millstone Grit of Pennsylvania. Chance. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. (3d), XXL, p. 134. 
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Dawson. 
Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc. XXX., p. 209. 
Feb. 16. Appalachian Revolution. O. H. 
Barton. 
March 2. Review and Questions. 
mesozoic era. 
March 16. Jura-Tuias Age. Mrs. Boyd. Age 
of reptiles. Rocks deposited in narrow inlets of 
sea, or river course. Shallow water — ripple marks. 
.Strong floods — coarse conglomerates. Birds and 
probably first mammals appear. 
LITERATURE. 
Triassic of Connecticut Valley. Davis. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. XXXIL, p. 342. 
Traps in New Red Sandstone. .Silliman. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. IV., p. 116. 
April 6. CketaCEOI'S Age. Miss Smith. Chalk- 
bearing. Age of birds. Insects untoltled to its 
higliest tribe. Willow, oak, sycamore, oak, maple 
trees. 
LITERATURE. 
Cretaceous Flora. Dawson. Amer. Nat. XXII. , 
p. 953. 
Rocky Mountain Region. Marsh. Amer. Nat. 
X., p. 4.36. 
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. 
Davis. ^Viuer. Jour. Sci. (3d), XXIV., p. 345. 
CENOZOic era. 
.Vpril 20. Tertiary Age. Mr. Hall. Age of 
mammals. Rocks are principally sand or clay. 
Genesis of the horse. 
LITERATURE. 
Martha's Vineyard Tertiary. Lyell. Amer. Jour. 
Sci. (lst),XLVI., p. 318. 
Post-Tertiary and Tertiary of Massachusetts. 
Dodge. Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d), XXXVL, p. 56. 
Tertiary Eruptive Rocks. Szabo. Amer. Nat. 
XIIL. p. .399. 
Man in T'ertiary. Morse. Science, IV., p. 244. 
May 4. Quartehnary Age. 0. H. Barton. 
Glacial period. 
LITERATURE. 
Great Ice Age. James Geikie. 
Gravel Ridges in Merrimac Valley. Wright. 
Proc. Bos. Soc. Nat. Hist. XIX., p. 47. 
Glacial Drift in Boston and Vicinity. Upham. 
Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d), XVIII. 
Terminal Moraines of Cape Cod. Upham. Amer. 
Nat. XIIL, pp. 489, 552. 
Relation of Kames to Terraces. Dana. Amer. 
Jour. Sci. XXII. , p. 451. 
On Drift. Hyatt. Proc. Bos. Soc. Nat. Hist. 
XIV., p. 9. 
Drumlins. Davis. Amer. Jour. Sci. (3d), 
XXVIIL, p. 407. 
Surface Geology of Eastern Massachusetts. 
Crosby. Amer. Nat. XL, p. 577. 
Glaciers of Pacific Coast. King. Amer. Jour. 
Sci. (3d), I., p. 157. 
May .18. Terrace 'and Champlain Periods. 
Mrs. Lowery. .Vge of man. Melting of glaciers. 
LITERATURE. 
Post-Pliocene Fossils. Verrill. \mw. Jour. Sci. 
(3d), X., p. 364. 
Terraces and Ancient Coast-Lmes. Petersen. 
Amer. Jour. Sci. (■3d), XXIL, p. 149. 
Glacial and Cliamplain in New England. Dana. 
Amer. Jour. Sci. V.. pp. 198, 217. 
History of Earth. Le Conte. Amer. Nat. XL, 
p. 590. 
June 1. Retrospect. B.B.Williams. "Na- 
ture's fundamental metliod is a procedure, through 
continuity, from the general to the particular." 
Winchell. 
June 15. Review and Questions. 
Lest it should seem to any that this course 
makes too free use of books, we give also the pro- 
gramme of field-meetings and excursions by which 
the same Chapter admirably supplements its in- 
door study. It isequally suggestive. 
outings, autumn and winter, 1890-91. 
Sept. 6.— Nautasket. Study : Dikes and over- 
flows. Specimens : Melaphyr, tuft', porcelainite. 
Sept. 13. — Boxboro. Study : Archicu limestone. 
Specimens: Yellow calcite, garnet, yttrocerite, 
actinolite, scapolite, crystals and variegated, black 
serpentine, pyroxene. ^ 
Sept. '20. — Nahaut. Study: Georgia limestone 
and slates and their relation to the eruptive dia- 
base'. Specimens: Diabase, epidote, quartz, py- 
roxene, limestone, chrysolite, hyolithes. 
Sept. 27.— Soutli Lawrence. Study: (Jranitoid 
gneiss. Specimens : Pegmatite, gneiss. 
Oct. 4. — Allston. Study : (joncentric weather- 
ino- of dike. Relations of volcanic rock and sand- 
stone. Specimens : Amygdaloid, tuft", slate, sand- 
stone, ripple marks {'i). 
Oct. 11.— Smithfield and Valley Falls. Study: 
Limestone quarries and Carboniferous Age. Spec- 
imens: Quartz, dog-tooth spar, talc, bowenite, 
calcite, mica, coal fossils. 
