January 21, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



85 



power of the waterfall, have worn the river 

 bed to a maximum depth of nearly 200 feet 

 beneath the water surface. 



The narrowness of the gorge along the 

 Whirlpool rapids is therefore attributed to 

 the conditions of the river erosion here in- 

 dicated, rather than to decrease of the vol- 

 ume of the river by diversion of the water 

 of the upper lakes to flow from Lake Huron 

 eastward. Studies of the glacial Lake 

 Agassiz convince the author that the prog- 

 ress of the epeirogenic uplift of the north- 

 ern United States and Canada from the 

 Champlain depression was too rapid to ac- 

 cord with the hypothesis of any outflow 

 from Lake Huron toward the east during 

 the long time that would be required for 

 the Niagara River, while thus diminished, 

 to erode the gorge along the Whirlpool 

 rapids. The explanation here given ac- 

 cords mainly with Dr. Julius Pohlman's 

 discussion of the Niagara history, but dif- 

 fers concerning the age of the river and of 

 postglacial time, which is estimated, as 

 from Professor N. H. Winchell's discussion 

 of the Falls of St. Anthony, to have been 

 between 5,000 and 10,000 years. 



The Princeton Expedition to Patagonia. W. 



B. Scott. 



Professor Scott gave an outline of the 

 remarkably rich finds made by the Prince- 

 ton expedition, whose gatherings already 

 amount to 20 tons and include 1,000 skulls. 

 Mr. Hatcher is again on the ground and 

 will remain three years. The results at 

 present reached show that much revision is 

 necessary of the Argentine stratigraphy as 

 at present published. The lowest beds ex- 

 amined, constituting the Patagonian a ma- 

 rine formation, are Oligocene or lowest 

 Miocene and are equivalent to the Miocene 

 of New Zealand. The overlying Santa Cruz 

 beds of volcanic ash, possibly lacustrine, 

 are not older than the middle Miocene. 

 The upper series or Cape Fairweather beds 



are Pliocene. All the fossils are in great 

 contrast with those of North America, and 

 the investigator finds himself in a new 

 world. They show foreshadowings of the 

 present South American types. Notwith- 

 standing the incomplete stage of the in- 

 vestigation, many details were given by 

 the speaker which were of the greatest in- 

 terest to the Society. 



The following papers were r-ead by title : 



Location and Form of a Drumlin at Barre 

 Falls, Mass. William H. NiLES. 



I>7-ift Phenomena of the Paget Sound Basin. 

 Bailey Willis. 



Notes on the Geology of the Rocky Mountains of 



Montana. Walter H. Weed. 

 Weathering of Alnoite in Manheim, N. Y. C. 



H. Smyth, Jr. 

 On the Occurrence of Corundum in North 



Sastings, Ont. A. E. Barlow. 



The regular business of the meeting being 

 concluded, the Society passed resolutions of 

 thanks for the extremely hospitable recep- 

 tion that it had received from the resi- 

 dent Fellows, especially Professors Adams 

 and Porter, and from the authorities of 

 McGill, and then adjourned. In the even- 

 ing the usual banquet was held in the 

 Windsor Hotel and proved a very enjoyable 

 conclusion of the exercises of the week. 



All the visitors were greatly impressed by 

 the new buildings and fine laboratories of 

 McGill, ^and repeatedly expressed their ap- 

 preciation and admiration for the gifts of 

 Mr. McDonald, who has been largely re- 

 sponsible for the recent expansion. The 

 advance of one university is a stimulus and 

 an encouragement for all. 



J. F. Kemp. 



Columbia Univeesity. 



IOWA ACADE3IY OF SCIENCES. 

 The twelfth annual session of the Iowa 

 Academy of Sciences was held on Decem- 

 ber 27 and 28, 1897, with Professor T. H. 



