March 31, 1881] 



NA TURE 



511 



Carboniferous, Devonian, and Old Red, Messrs. Morton 

 and Strahan ; for Silurian, Cambrian, and Pre-Cambrian, 

 Messrs. Lapworth and Marr. Fof chemical, dynamical 

 geology, petrology, and mineral veins Mes,rs. Bauerman 

 and T. Davies. 



The last-mentioned committee is specially to consider 

 the question of nomenclature under the following general 

 heads: (i) Terms founded on physical characters; (2) 

 founded on mineral coinposiiion ; (3) founded on names 

 of places ; (4) founded on local peculiarities and common 

 usage ; (5) founded on theories of origin and other hypo- 

 theses ; (6) synonyms ; (7) sug^jestions for systematising 

 and for unification of nonenchture. 



The Sub-commission or General Committee has Prof. 

 Hughes for its chairman, and Mr. E. B. Tawney for its 

 secretary ; itj duty is to receive the reports of the Com- 

 mittees and to consider the value of terms. The list of 

 names forming the Sub-Commission includes those of 

 Mr. Etheridge, P.G.S., Professors Bonney, Boyd Davv'.vins, 

 Haughton, Hull, Judd, Lebour, Morris, Prestwich, Rupert 

 Jones, and Seeley ; Doctors Clement Le Neve Fos er, 

 Evans, Geikie, J. Geikie, Hicks, Nicholson, and Sorby, 

 and the names already mentioned, of members acting 

 as Reporters, Secretary, and the Chairman. The Sub- 

 Commission consider that the word system should be used 

 as the term indicating the largest sub-division, applied to 

 a group which stands by itself, easily and clearly distin- 

 guishable from the ro:k5 above and the rocks belo-.v, 

 bounded above and below by triads in stratigraphical 

 regions, and characterised by special forms of life. 

 Formation expresses a smaller group, with some litho- 

 logical and palseontological characters in common, but 

 which may be in continuous sequence with the rocks 

 above and below. Deposit implies similarity of litho- 

 logical character. Layers, lamina, bed, group, series, and 

 rock 3X& still under discussion. Zone and hoiizon were 

 defined ; but cycle and data were left open questions. 



Through the liberality of His Majesty the King of 

 Italy, the committee of organisation are able to offer 

 a prize of 5000 francs for the best suggestion for an 

 international scale of colours and conventional signs 

 practically applicable to geological maps and seciions, 

 including those of small scale. The index of colours 

 and signs should be accompanied by maps representing 

 regions of varied geological structure, and by an explana- 

 tory memoir in the French language. The documents 

 should be marked with a motto, which should be placed 

 on the outside of an envelope containing the name of the 

 author, which will not be opened until the Congress, when 

 the name of the successful competitor will be made known 

 The index and accompanying papers should be sent in to 

 Prof. J. Capellini, director of the Museum at Bologna, by 

 the end of May. The award will be made by a jury of 

 five chosen from the pr>;sidents of sub-commissions. 

 Should no index be thought worthy of the grand prize, 

 the best will receive a gold medal of the value of 1000 

 francs, while to the two next will be given medals of 

 silver and bronze of similar shape. C. E. de Range 



THE FALLS OF NIAGARA IN WINTER 



T N the first week of last February it fell to my lot to 

 ■'■ make very hurriedly the transcontinental journey of 

 3500 miles from San Francisco to New York. Before 

 starting I resolved that the one stoppage which I could 

 allow m)st\i en route should be made at Niagara. I had 

 visited the Falls in the early summer of 1S79, and was so 

 profoundly impressed by them that I could not resist the 

 opportunity of seeing them again under their wintry 

 aspect ; and I was confirmed in my resolve by seeing 

 statements in various American papers to the effect that, 

 owing to the long-continued and exceptionally severe cold 

 of the present winter, the Ice-mountains at the Falls were 



higher than had ever been previously known. These 

 statements were confirmed to me on the spot by several 

 persons long resident in the village. 



Two or three preliminary notes on the journey across 

 the Rocky Mountains in midwinter may not be without 

 interest for the readers of NATURE. I left San Francisco 

 on February 2nd in the midst of most serious floods, and 

 on that particular day they attained their maximum, which 

 was one inch higher than any previously recorded. It 

 was estimated that 3500 squire miles of the most fertile 

 land of California was under water, and in many parts 

 steamboats of light draught were plying over the country. 

 Any assessment of damage would have to be made by 

 milhons of dollars. I heard many and grievous com- 

 plaints of the damage done to the agricultural interests of 

 the country by the "hydraulic mining," which washed 

 the hillsides down into the river beds, filling them up, and 

 thus prevented much flood water from being carried off. 

 In soiTie places the railroad tra:k had been apparently 

 washed away, for it could not be found, and from this 

 cause our journey to Sacramento was lengthened about 

 fifty miles, as the gigantic ferry-boat Solano could not be 

 used for the short route. This boat has four tracks upon 

 it, and will carry twenty-four cars. As each car seats 

 fifty people, this is equal to carrying a train that will 

 accommodate 1200 people. It has four side-wheels, each 

 with its engine and set of boilers. In crossing the 

 Sierras we encountered little snow, but a great deal of 

 rain. The greatest amount of snow on the journey was 

 in the upper part of the Weber Canon, 100 miles east of 

 Ogden and Salt Lake. Here there had been consider- 

 able difficulty in keeping the line open during January, 

 but the train-service had not been interrupted for a single 

 day, although the snow-sheds and snow-ploughs were 

 constantly required. That the weather had been un- 

 usually severe was shown by the very large number of 

 dead cattle along the line, from Ogden across the 

 Laramie plains, and also, I was informed, in Colorado. 

 In the four days between San Francisco and Omaha 

 (where we arrived punctually), the terminus of the Pacific 

 Railroad, the temperature was never below 26' F., and 

 the air so still that I frequently saw smoke rings from 

 the locomotive funnel expand to 6 or even S feet diameter, 

 rising perhaps 30 or 40 feet in doing so. All the cars 

 were warmed, usually to too great an extent, from 70° to 

 75° F., being the normal temperature for the interior of 

 railway cars, hotels, private houses, and schools, as far 

 as mv experience went. 



East of the Missouri (which, like all the rivers I 

 crossed, was frozen over) trains were everywhere very 

 much delayed, owing to snowstorms, or to the slippery 

 state of the rails, which were coated with ice. The utmost 

 caution was used by those in charge of trains, and a 

 strong impression was left on my mind that safety, and 

 not speed or punctuality, was the primary consideration 

 in such American railway management as I came 

 across. . 



On leaving Chicago a phenomenon presented itselt 

 which is common enough in America, though but rarely 

 seen in this country, and never on so gigantic a scale. 

 For several days the temperature had been very low, and 

 every object was exceedingly cold. On the night of 

 February 6th, the air-temperature rose to 33' F., and fine 

 rain fell. This froze upon everything and encased it with 

 transparent ice, from which in many instances delicate 

 icicles depended. Sad havoc was played with the over- 

 head telegraph wires in Chicago itself (which were broken 

 by the weight) ; but on leaving the city in the early 

 morning the exceeding beauty of the whole country, 

 usually °so uninteresting from its flatness, became appa- 

 rent. A light coating of snow lay on the ground, but every- 

 thing, every twig, every dead leaf, every blade of grass, 

 hadttsown transparent covering, which in the occasional 

 gleams of the sun shone with the most gorgeous colours. 



