190 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 683 



these terraces, which Mr. Pearson believed to 

 be of marine origin. It was shown that if 

 the elevations of beaches, as recorded by 

 various writers who have studied these ter- 

 races, were plotted upon one diagram, and 

 ■consideration given to the apparent difierence 

 in relative ages of their ordinates, we should 

 find that, 



1. These terraces resolve themselves into 

 several distinct systems. 



2. All these terraces are found with rising 

 inclination to the true north — the most re- 

 cent terraces, the upper member of which 

 would have elevation if extended to the pole 

 of about 1,467 feet, disappear, at the equator, 

 into the present sea level. The older and 

 more elevated terraces pass the equator at 

 some considerable distance above the present 

 sea level. 



3. The upper terrace of the more recent 

 series, corresponds with the upper surfaces of 

 the so-called glacial lakes, Agassiz, Ohio, 

 Warren, Algonquin, Iroquois, St. Lawrence, 

 Gulf of Winnipeg, etc. It also corresponds 

 Tvith the upper surface of the Lafayettfi flood, 

 and with the waters of the Champlain and 

 Matanzas submergences. By this correspond- 

 ence or absolute confluence in beach lines, it 

 was held that complete demonstration was 

 ■offered as to a similar confluence in all above- 

 named water bodies. 



4. The law of inclination found in these 

 terraces is that the rising gradient especially 

 of the younger terraces, increases to the north 

 •approximately as the sine of the latitude. 



Mention was here made of some of the in- 

 ferences that would properly follow in case 

 the peculiarities in structure of beach lines as 

 above no.ted, should be confirmed. For in- 

 stance, a most logical decision would be that 

 the extraordinary symmetry in these curves 

 offered assurance that no motion of the earth's 

 crust had taken place since the epoch of this 

 elevated sea. 



Another assumption might be made, as the 

 mathematicians have shown its competency, 

 that this northern flood may have been caused 

 hy a slight shifting of the earth's center of 

 gravity under the effects of a polar ice cap. 



Still another inference might be that the 



gTeat ice dams urged in explanation of the 

 raised beaches were no longer necessary. 



The effect of the earth's rotation upon ocean 

 currents was discussed and the matter of de- 

 formation of sea level by ocean currents men- 

 tioned and attention called to some of the 

 perplexing differences in levels of confluent 

 water bodies thus arising. 



Kalph Aenold, 

 Secretary 



THE BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON 



The 435th meeting was held December 14, 

 1907, President Stejneger in the chair. 



Dr. M. X. Sullivan read a paper on " Toxic 

 Bodies arising during Plant Metabolism," 

 illustrating it with many photographs. 



Many of the products of the life activity 

 of plants have been tested as regards their 

 toxicity to wheat and a number of these sub- 

 stances have been found toxic. 



Wheat was grown successively in the same 

 soil until the growth was poor. Investiga- 

 tion of the soil showed that toxic substances 

 had been deposited therein during the growth 

 of the plant. The absolute identity of the 

 substances in plant and soil is yet to be 

 ascertained. 



Cowpea was grown in soil until the yield 

 was slight. Prom this soil was obtained a 

 crystalline body toxic to cowpea. To wheat in 

 the same concentration the substance was 

 beneficial. 



The conclusion to be drawn from the paper 

 is that the decrease in yield of plants gTown 

 successively on the same soil is due pre- 

 dominantly to substances arising in the metab- 

 olism of the plants and exuded from the 

 seedling and roots. 



Mr. A. H. Howell read some " Notes on the 

 Migration of Bats," which will be published in 

 the Proceedings of the society. 



The 436th meeting was the 28th annual 

 meeting for the election of ofBcers. The fol- 

 lowing were elected for the ensuing year: 



President — Leonard Stejneger. 



Vice-presidents — T. S. Palmer, W. P. Hay, E. 

 L. Greene, E. W. Nelson. 



Recording Secretary — M. C. Marsh. 



Corresponding Secretary — W. H. Osgood. 



