June 11, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



879 



and drier areas of the lowlands to near and on 

 the ground. 



Less definite intermediate areas between the 

 ground cover and the tree tops, less dense, or with 

 a different vegetation, were shown to be habitats 

 of birds largely green or yellow, the result being 

 that given the general and special coloration of a 

 bird its habitat could be largely or clearly indi- 

 cated, apparent exceptions having been greatly in- 

 fluenced by other factors. 



A correlation was made of these distributional 

 results with the birds of eastern North America, 

 which were considered as governed by the same 

 influences, though forest changes have in modern 

 times greatly complicated the question. 



The coloration of other animals is governed by 

 the same ' laws with similar results, so that where 

 white, glossy black, bright and highly colored areas 

 exist on animals, it is due to psychological pro- 

 gressive adaptations, based on a less complex and 

 simpler dull coloration to be considered as basic, 

 primitive, and thus more purely physiological in 

 contrast. 



Mr. Palmer's communication was discussed by 

 Mr. Nelson and Hon. George Shiras, 3d. 



M. W. Lyon, Jk., 

 Recording Secretary 



THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON 



The one hundred and fourth regular meeting 

 of the Botanical Society of "Washington was held 

 in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club at 8 

 P.M., on Tuesday, April 6, 1915. Forty-five mem- 

 bers and flfty-three guests were present. Mr. W. 

 E. Chapline, Jr., was elected to membership. 

 The following scientific program was presented: 



Prepaleosoic Algal Deposits: Charles D. Wal- 



COTT. 



Mr. Walcott described the stratigraphic posi- 

 tion of the great Prepaleozoie Beltian series of 

 central Montana, which he considered to be of 

 fresh or brackish water origin. They were de- 

 posited in a large inland lake or lakes covering 

 approximately 6,000 square miles of area, also on 

 river flood plains as sand and gravel, or as fine 

 dust carried by the wind. The formations now 

 consist of sandstone, siliceous shales, calcareous 

 shales and beds of limestone, the last varying in 

 thickness from a few inches to several thousand 

 feet. The same type of deposits also occurs in 

 the Grand Canyon region of Arizona, and they 

 extend northward along the main ranges of the 



Rocky Mountains far into Alberta and British 

 Columbia. 



At a horizon approximately 9,000 feet below 

 the base of the Cambrian numerous reefs of algal 

 deposits occur at several horizons in the Newland 

 limestone formation of the Beltian in Montana, 

 and isolated concretionary-like forms occur scat- 

 tered at various levels in the overlying Spokane 

 shales of the Belt Mountains. The algal remains 

 occur in many forms, some of which are surpris- 

 ingly similar to those of the fresh-water lake and 

 stream, blue-green algal, deposits of Pennsyl- 

 vania, New York, Michigan, etc. Others are simi- 

 lar in appearance to the blue-green and green 

 algal deposits of the thermal waters of the Yellow- 

 stone National Park. 



Mr. Walcott illustrated by lantern slides the 

 various forms of algal deposits as they occur in 

 the Pre-Cambrian rocks and also recent deposits. 

 Photographs of thin sections of both the fossil and 

 recent deposits showed similar chains of cells 

 which are characteristic of the blue-green alga. 

 Other photographs illustrated recent bacteria and 

 those associated with the algal remains in the 

 Prepaleozoie of Montana. These included the 

 Micrococci, with both round and oval cells. Some 

 of the sections appear to carry rodlike bacilli. 



The Algal Flora of Some Eocene Oil Shales: 



Charles A. Davis. 



Extensive beds of petroleum-yielding shales of 

 Eocene age occur in northwestern Colorado and 

 westward. They are carbonaceous, and when fresh 

 are dark brown, hard, tough and compact, with a 

 bituminous odor. So far as observed, they con- 

 tain no free oil, but yield petroleum on distilla- 

 tion. 



By modifying methods of sectioning employed 

 by various investigators in studying coals, the au- 

 thor successfully sectioned these shales by micro- 

 tome. The sections show an organic detrital 

 magma containing an extensive microscopic flora, 

 which includes a large number of perfectly pre- 

 served miero-algse related to blue-green and higher 

 types. 



Thirty-five lantern slides showed the various 

 algae found in these shales. 

 AlgcB in the Upper Paleozoic: David "White. 

 Perley Spaulding, 

 Corresponding Secretary 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON 



At the 484th meeting of the society, held 

 March 2, Mr. E. T. "Williams, of the Department 



