144 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. in. No. 56. 



sends apophyses into it. The contact between 

 the two is distinctly marked, and although a 

 careful microscopical examination has not as 

 yet been made, it does not appear to be a nieta- 

 morphic contact due to stretching, but an 

 igneous contact, the Stamford gneiss having 

 covered, when in a melted condition, the green 

 gneiss. The Stamford gneiss is apparently a 

 granite which has had the gneissic character 

 impressed upon it. 



The general occurrence, composition and 

 structure of the Stamford gneiss corresponds 

 very closely with the Rapakiwi granite of Finn- 

 land, described by J. J. Sederholm in Tscher- 

 mak's Mineralogische und Petrographische 

 Mittheilungen, Band XII., pages 1-31, 1891. 

 Ueber die Finnliindischen Rapakiwigesteiue. 



DECEMBER 10, 1895. 



Preliminary Notes on the North Jersey Coast. J. 



Edmund Woodman. 



Three important causes of change are now in 

 operation here — submergence, recession and ad- 

 vance. The first is widespread, but immeasur- 

 able. The evidence relevant to this is varied, 

 but chiefly the presence of stumps in salt and 

 brackish water. Deepening of inlets affords no 

 criterion. 



Recession is effected by (1) waves, and (2) cur- 

 rents. On Sandy Hook and south of Manas- 

 quan inlet this is replaced by advance or grade ; 

 hence these are nodal points. This recession is 

 measurable, and may be prophesied approxi- 

 mately for any specified time within certain 

 limits. It can be temporarily prevented at iso- 

 lated points, although not by present methods, 

 but its ultimate conquest is sure. 



The waves act (1) by eroding the shore ; (2) 

 by damming inlets, and (3) by transporting ma- 

 terial off' shore to form bars. Erosion is irreg- 

 ular, and in places erosion and advance alter- 

 nate and partially compensate. Cutting is 

 greatest with a northeast wind — i. e., when 

 wind and current are in opposition ; it is least 

 with a southeast wind. This is contrary to gen- 

 eral theory, but is readily explainable. The 

 damming of inlets is caused partly by coastwise 

 bars raised by the waves and partly by sediment 

 from the streams falling in the dead water where 

 current and waves meet. Probably the former 



cause does not operate until some sedimentation 

 has taken place. Most of the sand eroded from 

 the shore is carried a few hundred feet out to 

 form bars, little migrating along the margin of 

 the land. 



The currents act (1) by carrying a small 

 amount of sand along shore as mentioned ; (2) 

 by the migration of bars northward — the most 

 important method of transportation, and, as a 

 result, (3) by deposition of most or all the sand 

 on Sandy Hook. T. A. Jaggae, Jr., 



Recording Secretary. 



THE ACADEMY OP SCIENCE OF ST. LOTTIS. 



At the meeting of January 6, 1896, President 

 Green in the chair and eighteen other members 

 present, the officers placed in nomination at the 

 last meeting were declared as elected for the 

 year 1896. 



The reports for 1895 of the Treasurer and Li- 

 brarian were read and accepted. 



Prof. Engler pointed out a simple graph- 

 ical method of drawing a normal to a parabola 

 from a point outside the curve. 



On motion of Prof Pritchett, the Council 

 was requested to arrange for a meeting of 

 the Academy, in the near future, commemora- 

 tive of the service of four distinguished men 

 who had died in the past year: Dana, Helm- 

 holtz, Huxley and Pasteur. 



Mr. Espenschied exhibited several samples of 

 sisal and palm-fibre utensils obtained from the 

 Bermudas and West Indies, exi^laining the 

 mode of preparation. 



Two new resident members were elected. 

 Wm. Trelease, 

 Recording Secretary. 



NEW BOOKS. 

 Movement. E. J. Marey. New York, D. Ap- 



pleton & Co. 1895. Pp. xv + 318. $1.75. 

 Computation Rules and Logarithms. Silas W. 



Holman. New York and London, Mac- 



millan & Co. 1896. Pp. xlv -|- 73. $1.00. 

 Plant Breeding. L. H. Bailey. New York 



and London, Macmillan & Co. 1895. Pp. 



vii + 293. $1.00. 

 The Chemistry of Pottery. Karl Langenbeck. 



Chemical Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. Pp. 



vi + 197. 



