634 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 620. 



stones of the state have been continued and 

 completed. 



Mineralogy. — A discovery of notable inter- 

 est is the location of a series of vein caverns 

 lined with perfectly developed calcite crystals 

 of extraordinary size. A single crystal of re- 

 markable crystallographic completeness and of 

 a fine amethystine tint weighs nearly 1,000 

 pounds and innumerable others from 50 to 500 

 pounds each. In habit these crystals are 

 highly modified rhombohedra with basal pina- 

 coids and scalenohedral faces, frequently 

 twinned but exemplifying a common form 

 without great modification. Probably no 

 such development of calcites so gigantic in 

 size and at the same time so uncomplicated, 

 clear and well built has before been seen in 

 this country. An extensive series of these 

 crystals has been removed for the museum and 

 measures have been taken to control the en- 

 tire supply for the state's collections. 



Caverns. — Careful exploration has been 

 made of the caverns of the Helderberg lime- 

 stone plateau for the purpose of ascertaining 

 their relations to the existing topography and 

 drainage. It has been possible to determine 

 that this network of underground passages 

 represents successive stages of work not de- 

 pendent wholly on the joint systems of the 

 region and that, as lines of drainage, these 

 passages are to-day in a decadent stage. 



ARCHEOLOGY. 



For two years past options have been taken 

 on various lands believed to carry sites of 

 Indian villages or burial grounds, and these 

 are excavated as opportunity affords. This 

 year the archeologist opened a village and 

 burial site near Ripley on the shore of Lake 

 Erie. The encroachment of Lake Erie on 

 this site has been so great as to destroy some 

 part of it, this of itseK aside from internal 

 evidence indicating its considerable antiquity. 

 One hundred and fifty graves and refuse pits 

 were opened and from them were obtained an 

 amazing number of all sorts of relics and 

 utensils of this early Erie culture, stone im- 

 plements and ornaments in great variety, 

 fabrics, skin clothing, seventy pots, about 

 half of which were unbroken, skeletons with 



ornaments attached and even parts of skin and 

 flesh preserved. No site ever opened in New 

 York has proved so instructive and so prolific 

 in the vestigia of Indian life. The additions 

 thus made to the archeological collections are 

 extensive and important. 



BOTANY. 



Reexamination of species of Crataegus and 

 the search for additions to fungous flora have 

 been the chief objects of the past field season. 



ENTOMOLOGY. 



Protective and control measures against the 

 San Jose scale, the grape root worm, tussock 

 moth and elm leaf beetle and other insect 

 enemies of the fruit and shade trees have been 

 actively carried out. Special investigations 

 upon the Caddis flies and gall midges have 

 also been continued. 



INTERCOLLEGIATE GEOLOGICAL EXCUR- 

 SION. 



The annual New England intercollegiate 

 geological excursion was held on Saturday, 

 November 3. This excursion, organized in 

 1900 by Yale and Harvard, has met at Hol- 

 yoke, Worcester, Boston, Salem and Meriden,. 

 and has annually brought together students 

 from all the New England colleges and many 

 of the normal schools and high schools, par- 

 ticipation being limited to teachers- of geology 

 and certain advanced students. The expedi- 

 tions have done much to improve teaching on 

 the subject and to develop friendly relations 

 between the geological departments of the dif- 

 ferent institutions. 



Last Saturday the excursion was conducted 

 at Meriden, Conn., by Professor Gregory, of 

 Yale, and was preceded by a meeting on Friday 

 evening at which the geology of the Meriden 

 region was described. The object of the trip 

 this year was to study the sandstones and in- 

 terbedded lavas of the Triassic formation, and 

 special attention was given to an important 

 ' fault line,' on which the displacement 

 amounts to 2,000 feet. Professor W. M. 

 Davis, who worked out the structure of the 

 region, pointed out the topographic features 

 which were the result of the faulting; Pro- 



