478 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXII. No. 563. 



paper on the mountains of Central Japan, by 

 the Rev. Walter Weston. At the meeting on 

 November 20, Mrs. Famiy Bullock Workman 

 will give an account of the first exploration by 

 herself and her husband of the Hoh-Lumba 

 and Lobson glaciers, in the western Hima- 

 layas. On December 4, Mr. H. Weld Blundell 

 will give a paper on the very interesting in- 

 vestigations he has been making on the Abai 

 basin, in Abyssinia. On December 18, Mr. 

 C. G. Seligman will give an account of the 

 recent expedition to British New Guinea, un- 

 der Major Daniels; the paper will be illus- 

 trated with cinematograph slides showing 

 after a vivid fashion some of the customs of 

 the natives. Among papers to be expected 

 after Christmas are the following : ' Unex- 

 plored India,' by Colonel Sir T. H. Holdich; 

 ■' The Economic Geography of Australia,' by 

 Professor J. W. Gregory, F.R.S.; ' Survey and 

 Exploration in Seistan,' by Colonel A. H. 

 McMahon, C.S.I. ; 'Exploration in Tierra del 

 Euego,' by Captain R. Crawshay; 'Explora- 

 tion in the East Tibet Borderlands,' by Lieu- 

 tenant Filchner ; ' Explorations in Bolivia and 

 Peru,' by Baron E. Nordenskjold ; ' The Philip- 

 pine Islands,' by Professor Allejoie Ireland; 

 'Northern Rhodesia,' by L. A. Wallace; 'The 

 Geographical Influence of Water Plants in 

 Chile,' by G. F. Scott Elliot; 'Maps of Lon- 

 don,' by Laurence Gomme. Major St. Hill 

 Gibbons will give a paper dealing with some of 

 the results of his recent expedition to British 

 East Africa in connection with the Zionist 

 Association, and a paper on ' The Geography 

 of the Spanish Armada ' may be expected 

 from the Rev. W. Spotswood Green. ' In ad- 

 dition to the ordinary evening meetings of the 

 ^society, the research department, instituted 

 about two years ago, holds frequent afternoon 

 meetings for the discussion of special sub- 

 jects in scientific and applied geography. The 

 scheme for the investigation of the changes 

 which have taken place in the North Sea Coast 

 region during historical times will be further 

 considered, and it is hoped active steps will 

 be instituted for carrying out the inquiry. 

 Sir Clements Markham will introduce the 

 question of ' The Next Great Arctic Dis- 

 covery,' in which he will advocate detailed 



investigation of the unknown region lying 

 between Prince Patrick Island and the New 

 Siberian Islands. Among other subjects to 

 be brought before this department of the so- 

 ciety will be the results of an investigation 

 into the areas of the orographical regions of 

 England and Wales, by Dr. A. J. Herbertson, 

 reader in geography at Oxford University. 

 It is expected that the visit of the British 

 Association to South Africa will have fur- 

 nished the geographical members with certain 

 problems in their subject suitable for dis- 

 cussion at the research department. 



The present is an especially favorable time 

 to study the geologic structure of Greater 

 New York, for never before in the earth's 

 history has there been such a focus for engi- 

 neering enterprises as is now found within 

 the 50 or more square miles included within 

 Manhattan Island. These - enterprises have 

 together furnished more than 35 sections 

 across the rivers which form the water front 

 of the island. Many of them reveal the na- 

 ture of the subjacent rock, and a number of 

 them give nearly complete section across it. 

 In view of the rapid work of the engineers, it 

 is important that observations be made and 

 recorded at once lest the opportunity be for- 

 ever lost. Bulletin 2Y0 of the United States 

 Geological Survey, which is entitled ' The 

 Configuration of the Rock Floor of Greater 

 New York,' is, therefore, an especially timely 

 study. Mr. William Herbert Hobbs, the au- 

 thor, calls further attention to the fact that 

 the present is a particularly favorable time for 

 geologic observation in this vicinity, because 

 of the enormous increase in the value of real 

 estate upon Manhattan Island. It is resulting 

 in a paring down of all rock masses which 

 project above the general level in order to 

 make room for business blocks and apartment 

 houses. The greater number of the rock 

 exposures described by Dana and other early 

 observers are now no longer seen, and those 

 still uncovered by blocks and pavements will 

 in a very few years have disappeared from 

 view. After reviewing briefly the structural 

 geologic studies made in the New York City 

 area by earlier writers, Mr. Hobbs states that 

 too little weight, in his opinion, has been ac- 



