Mat 3, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



707 



found at a few points on the present shore 

 line, such as the cuspate forelands seen at 

 Cedar and Cove points on the lower Chesa- 

 peake; it will be edifying to learn if similar 

 details are revealed by further study of the 

 earlier shore lines. All these details concern- 

 ing the shore line features might, it may be 

 noted, have been stated to advantage in a 

 technical terminology, as expressive of the 

 precise quality of the facts as is the technical 

 terminology that is employed without hesita- 

 tion in the chapters on paleontology; but in 

 the present volume the best technical terminol- 

 ogy for the descriptions of shore lines — that 

 suggested by Gulliver — is unfortunately sel- 

 dom employed. 



There is one reflection that Shattuck's close 

 study of a coastal plain suggests to one who is 

 particularly interested in that class of forms 

 as objects of physiographic study; namely, the 

 difficulty of telling the whole truth in a brief 

 statement. It is customary with some physi- 

 ographers to describe the coastal plain of the 

 Maryland region as having been formerly 

 maturely dissected and recently partly sub- 

 merged; an effective general picture of its 

 present form and outline is thus suggested in 

 a few words. But the details of its form 

 require a more elaborate statement for their 

 proper presentation. It is a coastal plain 

 which, having been uplifted and effectually 

 baseleveled, was renovated with a wide-spread 

 cover of Lafayette sediments, and then up- 

 lifted again, as good as new: in this condi- 

 tion it was dissected to well advanced ma- 

 turity; then strongly submerged preparatory 

 to an oscillating emergence, which allowed the 

 rapid carving of four scarps and the deposi- 

 tion of four terraces (the last being those of 

 to-day) on its maturely dissected slopes. The 

 first brief statement wiU serve for use in 

 schools; the second more elaborate account, 

 with appropriate local details, may suffice for 

 use in college. The features yet to be more 

 fully investigated offer fitting subjects for 

 field research by graduate students and pro- 

 fessional workers. 



W. M. Davis 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 

 THE TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



The first meeting of the Texas Academy of 

 Science for the year 1906-'07 was held in the 

 chemical lecture room of the University of 

 Texas on Friday evening, October 26, 1906. 

 The program consisted of the inaugural ad- 

 dress of the president, Dr. S. E. Mezes, pro- 

 fessor of philosophy in the university and 

 dean of the college of arts, who took for his 

 subject ' What is Matter ? ' 



At the regular meeting, November 24, 1906, 

 Dr. George S. Fraps, of the Agricultural and 

 Mechanical College of Texas, state chemist, 

 discussed 'Food Adulteration' after which 

 the speaker was entertained by the officers of 

 the academy at an informal banquet. 



The semi-annual formal meeting was held 

 Tuesday evening, December 26, 1906. Dr. H. 

 T. Benedict, professor of applied mathematics 

 and astronomy, in the University of Texas, 

 delivered an illustrated lecture on ' The Solar 

 System.' 



At the regular meeting of January 26, 

 1907, Captain T. J. Dickson, chaplain of the 

 26th Infantry, U. S. A., Fort Sam Houston, 

 San Antonio, by request, presented two illus- 

 trated papers : (1) ' Fighting Asiatic Cholera,' 

 (2) ' The First Ascent of Mount Isarog ' ; both 

 papers dealing with his personal experiences 

 in the Philippine Islands. 



The meeting for February-March was held 

 March 7, 1907. Dr. Eugene P. Schoch, ad- 

 junct professor of chemistry. University of 

 Texas, gave an experimental exhibition of 

 ' The Transformation of Kadium.' 



Volume VIII. of the Transactions of the 

 Academy has been recently published. Its 

 contents include papers on the following sub- 

 jects : 



' The Esthetic Element in Scientific 

 Thought,' by Dr. Thomas Montgomery, Jr. 

 This is the presidential address for 1905. 



' Paving Brick,' by Thomas U. Taylor, dean 

 of the department of engineering in the Uni- 

 versity of Texas. 



' The Spacial Conception of the Blind,' by 

 Dr. Franz J. Dohmen, honorary lecturer in 

 mathematics in the University of Texas. 



