January 26, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



155 



at 1 :15 P.M., when a rise began, giving 60° 

 again at 3 p.m. 



We learn from Symons's Meteorological 

 Magazine (November, 1905) of the establish- 

 ment of a lectureship on meteorology in the 

 University of Manchester. Mr. George C. 

 Simpson, vcho occupies this position, is the 

 first university lecturer on meteorology in 



Great Britain. 



E. DeC. Ward. 



THE NEW ENGLAND INTERCOLLEGIATE 



GEOLOGICAL EXCUKSION, 1905. GEOL- 

 OGY OF TEE NANTASKET AREA. 



The New England Intercollegiate Geolog- 

 ical Excursion for the year 1905 was held at 

 Boston, on Saturday, October 28, under the 

 auspices of the Massachusetts Institute of 

 Technology. Professor T. A. Jaggar, Jr., 

 was in charge, Professors J. B. Woodworth, of 

 Harvard, and D. W. Johnson, of the institute, 

 cooperating in the work. 



On Friday evening, October 27, an informal 

 conference was held in the library of the de- 

 partment of geology at the institute, the 

 meeting being well attended. Professor 

 Jaggar outlined the plans for the following 

 day, and presented a brief account of the geo- 

 logical history of the Boston Basin, together 

 with a more detailed description of the lava 

 flows, dykes and sediments of the Nantasket 

 area. Professor Johnson followed with a dis- 

 cussion of the recent changes which have 

 taken place in the drumlins and beaches of 

 the harbor, particularly those which have 

 affected the development of the present Nan- 

 tasket Beach. 



The party, consisting of forty-five teachers 

 and students, left South Station at 8 :43 Satur- 

 day morning, going by train to Point Allerton 

 at the northern end of the beach. After 

 noting the different stages of marine erosion 

 shown by the remnants of the Allerton drum- 

 lins, the party walked southward along the old 

 abandoned beaches which were formed a con- 

 siderable distance west of the present shore. 

 The consecutive stages in the development of 

 the present form of Nantasket could be made 

 out from the succession of beaches with inter- 

 vening ' slashes,' converging at the north to 



pass a little south of Point Allerton Hill 

 (drumlin), and indicating a former seaward 

 extension of the beaches; and converging at 

 the south to join the northern side of the 

 Strawberry Hill drumlin. It was seen that 

 the smaller waves from the protected harbor 

 are now cutting into these older beaches from 

 the west, destroying the work accomplished 

 by the larger Atlantic waves in a former time, 

 and building out to the northward a much 

 smaller beach made up largely of the material 

 eroded from the older beaches. The presence 

 of a peculiar protuberance in the outline of 

 the western shore was shown to be due to the 

 former existence of a drumlin at that place, 

 the drumlin having been removed largely by 

 marine action, but partly by man. The 

 splendid example of an abandoned marine cliff 

 on the southeast side of the Strawberry Hill 

 drumlin, the prominent crescentie cliff in the 

 next drumlin well to the south, and numerous 

 minor ' nips ' in the several drumlins, indicate 

 successive positions of the eastern shoreline as 

 the different beaches were added without any 

 apparent change in relative elevation of the 

 land, and point to the probable existence of 

 former drumlins which profoundly influenced 

 the development of the beaches, but which 

 have since been destroyed by the waves. The 

 general features of this succession were called 

 to the writer's attention by Professor Davis, 

 of Harvard, and the detailed study of the 

 region forms the subject of a paper which will 

 be presented at a future time. 



After the study of the old beaches and 

 abandoned marine cliffs the party divided into 

 two sections, one division under the direction 

 of Professor Jaggar, the other under that of 

 Professor Woodworth. The detailed structure 

 of the Nantasket ledges of south-dipping con- 

 glomerates, slates, lavas, breccias and sand- 

 stones were pointed out, and the origin of the 

 most interesting features discussed. Inter- 

 secting dykes of diabase, sometimes contain- 

 ing inclusions of the underlying granite, some- 

 times almost entirely removed from between 

 the hard walls of country rock by the action 

 of the waves, afforded many points of interest. 

 The ' volcanic bombs ' in the melaphyr, and the 

 extensive beds of conglomerate contemporane- 



