840 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. VII. No. 181. 



to determine tlie relation of the present Interna- 

 tional Metre to the old metre of the archives ; 

 and, therefore, the assumption heretofore made 

 that these two bars are identical in length can 

 no longer be accepted. 



The second paper was by Mr. A. Lindenkohl, 

 the substance of which was as follows : Eecent 

 hydrographic surveys off Montauk Point and off 

 the southern coast of the New England States 

 furnish more exact information concerning the 

 submerged terminal moraines of those regions 

 than preceding ones. The shoal ground which, 

 in the shape of a horseshoe, stretches from 

 Martha's Vineyard to Block Island, is believed 

 to be of glacial origin, and shows that the 

 moraine was laid down on a very uneven floor, 

 and that here the ice sheet pushed out into the 

 sea to a greater distance and depth than else- 

 where in the vicinity. A ' drowned ' river 

 channel breaking through this shoal ground in- 

 dicates a subsidence of about 150 feet. The 

 shoal ground between Block Island and Long 

 Island has several dangerous rocky heads ; 

 their existence was not suspected until, in 1862, 

 the steamship ' Great Eastern ' struck on one of 

 them, since called 'Great Eastern Rock. ' About 

 half way between the two islands we meet an- 

 other sunken river channel, giving evidence of 

 a subsidence of about 130 feet. The moraine 

 which is represented by Cape Cod and the 

 Elizabeth Islands does not appear to terminate 

 at Cuttyhunk, but to extend farther to the 

 southwest, including Brown's shoal, and to con- 

 nect with the one on the mainland by succes- 

 sive steps, forming barriers across the entrance 

 of Buzzard's Bay, which are pierced by a chan- 

 nel 120 feet deep. This channel points to a 

 sinking of the land of about 80 feet. The sub- 

 sidence of 150 feet furnishes an estimate of the 

 highest level attained by the land since the 

 glacial period, and those of 130 and 80 feet, re- 

 spectively, to indicate transitory levels during 

 a period of gradual subsidence. 



E. D. Peeston, 



Secretary. 



ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILA- 

 DELPHIA. 



May 21^. Mr. Charles Morris, under the 

 auspices of the Anthropological Section, read a 



paper on the antiquity of man from the stand- 

 point of evolution. 



The carnivorous tendencies of certain mon- 

 keys were considered by Messrs. Dixon and 

 Morris. 



May 31. Professor H. A. Pilsbry exhib- 

 ited a fine collection of mollusca from South 

 Australia, presented to the Academy by Mr. 

 Bednall, of Adelaide. They nearly complete 

 the Academy's collection of shells from that 

 region. The mollusca, and probably the other 

 invertebrates of South Australia, are not at all 

 archaic, and do not represent the fauna of an 

 earlier geological period as do the higher orders. 



Professor B. Sharp called attention to a 

 specimen of Ibacus Peronii from South Aus- 

 tralia, other examples of the same decapod 

 being from China, thus illustrating an important 

 extension of geographical range. The second 

 antennae, the auditory function of which was 

 dwelt on, are curiously flattened and extended 

 laterally, instead of being lengthened, as is 

 usually the case. The strong spines of the 

 species resemble those of Palinurus and are 

 probably of similar protective value. A species 

 of Pseudosquilla in the collection from the same 

 region is common to the tropical Pacific. 



A paper entitled ' Botanical Observations on 

 Mexican Flora, especially on the Flora of the- 

 Valley of Mexico,' by J. W. Harshberger, M.D,. 

 was presented for publication. 



Edw. J. Nolan, 

 Recording Secretary. 



NEW BOOKS. 



L^ Annie philosophique, puhliee sous la directions- 

 de P. Pillon. Paris, Alcan. 1898. Pp. 312. 



Introduction to Algebra for the use of Secondary 

 Schools and Technical Colleges. G. ChrystAL. 

 London, Adam and Charles Black; New York, 

 The Macmillan Company. 1898. Pp. xviii 

 +412+XXV. $1.25. 



La fatigue intellectuelle. A Binet et V. Henrb. 

 Paris, Schleicher Freres. 1898. Pp. 338. 



Industrial Electricity. Translated and adapted 

 from the French of Henry db Graffigny 

 by A. G. Elliott, B.Sc. London, Whittaker 

 & Co.; New York, The Macmillan Com- 

 pany. 1898. Pp. 152. 75 cents. 



