PROCEEDINGS 
OF THE 
NATURAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION 
OF STATEN 
ISLAND. 
Moue VILL. »Noi:. 8: 
OCTOBER 12th, rgor. 
The regular meeting of the Association 
was held at the Staten Island Academy. 
In the absence of the president Mr. A. K 
Johnston was elected chairman f7o fem. 
The secretary called attention to the death, 
since the last meeting, of Mr. Jere. V 
Wright, who lost his life in the sinking of the 
steamboat Northfield, on June 14th, 
Mr J. Blake Hillyer also refezred to Mr- 
Wright as one of the most enthusiastic sup- 
porters of the Association, who took a great 
interest in its work, attending the meetings, 
etc., but not taking an active part in the pro- 
ceedings. 
On motion the secretary was instructed to 
prepare a suitable minute, embodying the 
above facts, and also to record the deep re- 
gret of the Association at the loss which it 
has sustained in the death of Mr. Wright. 
Dr. Arthur Hollick exhibited and read the 
following note on 
TWO STATEN ISLAND SPONGES 
On September 8, 1899, after a severe storm, 
the beach between Great KIlls and Princes 
Bay, especially in the vicinity of the Woods 
of Arden, was thickly strewn with twospecie, 
of sponges, in all stages of wear and tear, 
from those which had been freshly cast up to 
others which had been rolled along the beach 
for a sufficient time to convert them into 
smooth rounded masses. These latter were 
so abundant in places that they formed ac- 
cumulations like the rounded cobble stones 
and pebbles of the beach shingle, and it was 
difficult to realize that they could have been 
derived from the open branching sponges. 
Specimens were sent to Professor R. P. 
Whitfield, of the American Museum of Natu- 
ral History, Who has kindly identified the 
two species represented as Aficrociona prolif 
era Ellis and Solander, 
(probably acuta). The former is bright red 
when fresh, but dries to a dull brown color, 
as seen in these specimens. 
and Hircinia sp? 
Dr. Hollick also read the following: 
GRAPE LEAVES BLIGHTED BY ACID FUMES. 
At our meeting last June I exhibited speci- 
mens of leaves of several plants in which the 
tissue was more or less destroyed and the 
green coloring matter bleached out—presum- 
ably by the action of acid vapors from the fac- 
tories on the New Jersey shore of the Kills. 
Subsequently one of our residents submit- 
ted to me these specimens of grape leaves, 
showing the same effects, although the vines 
were growing within a green house, In or- 
der to make certain that a fungus was not re- 
sponsible I turned them over to Professor LL 
M. Underwood of Columbia University who 
kindly examined them, and, while he would 
not assign any reason for the destruction, 
stated positively that there was no indication 
of a fungus growth, A chemical examination 
would probably be necessary in order to de- 
