April 3, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



531 



a large series of specimens. Mr. Ries showed 

 the association of bauxite with occasional beds 

 of limonite and lignite and the frequent occur- 

 rence of white clays in connection with the ore. 

 In their geological relations nothing of moment 

 was, however, brought to light that has not 

 already been published by Dr. C. W. Hayes in 

 his recent paper in the 16th Annual Report of 

 the Director of the U. S. Geological Survey. 

 In the discussion Mr. R. E. Dodge called atten- 

 tion to the close connection between the bauxite 

 and the tertiary peneplain of the region, so that 

 the ores are not found, except at a point where 

 the great fault lines of the region cut the Knox 

 dolomite between 900 and 950 feet above tide, 

 as shown by Dr. Hayes. Prof. Kemp in dis- 

 cussion called attention 'to the close association 

 of limonite and 'lignite with the bauxite, and 

 remarked the close parallel that exists between 

 these deposits and the siluro-cambrian iron ores 

 of the North. In the South we have hydrated 

 oxide of aluminum, with subordinate limonite. 

 In the North the iron oxide is in excess, while 

 the hydrated oxide of aluminum is present only 

 in the somewhat uncommon mineral gibbsite. 

 He also remarked tlie existence of lignites at 

 Brandon, Vt., and Mont Alto, Pa. "While the 

 limonites of the North have been in part derived 

 from the sulphate of iron produced by decom- 

 posing pyrites, but little hydrate of alumina 

 seems to have been formed by the sulphuric acid 

 which has also of necessity resulted. Prof 

 Kemp further remarked that a recent article in 

 the Engineering and Mining Journal of March 

 14th stated that the gossan of the Royal gold 

 mine, near Tallapoosa, Ga., extended a consid- 

 erable distance below the present water, line 

 and he suggested that it perhaps indicated a 

 recent depression which has brought the oxi- 

 dized zone below the ground water. 



The second paper of the evening was by Mr. 

 R. E. Dodge on ' The Cretaceous and Tertiary 

 Peneplains of Eastein Tennessee,' on the 

 basis of observations accumulated during two 

 summers' field work in the region under Mr. C. 

 W. Hayes, of the United States Geological Sur- 

 vey. The speaker described the geographical 

 development since the cretaceous period of the 

 country lying west from Chattanooga and across 

 the Sequatchie Valley to the Mississippi River. 



By means of maps and sections Mr. Dodge first 

 set forth the geology of the old cretaceous pene- 

 plain now forming the Cumberland Plateau 

 with a few monadnocks projecting above it j 

 next the tertiary peneplain that shows like a 

 great shelf on each side of the river valley ; and 

 then the present river valleys and the plains to 

 the west of the plateau region which are now 

 being still further notched by the active streams. 

 A map of the region that the speaker had pre- 

 pared and colored so as to show the extent of 

 each peneplain, or, in other words, the geo- 

 graphic development, was exhibited and com- 

 mented upon. In discussion Prof. Stevenson 

 remarked the high terraces that he had met 

 along the Monongahel^, Allegheny, Cheat and 

 New Rivei'S in Pennsylvania and West Vir- 

 ginia. He referred to their uniform attitudes 

 over wide areas and to their occurrences above 

 the river terraces. He seemed to favor, how- 

 ever, the view that they were wave-cut terraces 

 remaining from a period of submergence, but 

 remarked that they were wonderfully well pre- 

 served for ones of ancient date, and that they 

 exhibit an extraordinary lack of superficial 

 pebbles such as should accompany a wave-cut 

 terrace. 



The section then elected for the ensuing year 

 the same ofiicers that had held oflSce last year, 

 viz : J. J. Stevenson, Chairman, and J. F. 

 Kemp, Secretary. 



J. F. Kemp, 

 Secretary. 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



The 246th regular meeting of the Anthropo- 

 logical Society was held Tuesday, March 3, 

 1896. Surgeon General George M. Sternberg 

 read a paper on 'Vivisection: Its Objects and 

 Results. ' 



In the course of his paper Dr. Sternberg said 

 that by dissection of dead plants and animals 

 only can we determine the nature of their func- 

 tions. The study of the results of disease pro- 

 cesses in the post-mortem room cannot settle 

 questions, he said, relating to the etiology of 

 disease, its mode of transmission, if infectious, 

 its clinical history or its treatment. These are 

 questions which concern patient and physician, 

 and scientific medicine depends upon their so- 



