March 27, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



505 



paper, on ' An Ascent of Mt. Whitney, Cali- 

 fornia, with Notes on the Geology.' Mt. 

 Whitney, with an altitude of 14,625 feet, 

 claims the distinction of being the highest 

 peak in the United States. It is a mountain 

 of high relief in a rugged country. The 

 easiest way to the summit is by a five-day 

 journey skirting the canyons from the south- 

 west. Sedimentary rocks are not met with 

 in this part of the Sierras, near Mt. Whitney. 

 The country rock is a deeply weathered gran- 

 ite, split up by countless joint planes. Mt. 

 Whitney exliibits the effects of glacial sculp- 

 turing, and holds many small lakes in the 

 cirques, adjacent to its top, which have re- 

 sulted from ice undercutting. Professor Hal- 

 lock also described a lava flow with cinder 

 cones on Volcano Creek, Cal. Lantern slides 

 were used to bring out these features, and to 

 illustrate the topography. 



Professor Kemp read the second paper, on 

 * The Leucite Hills of Wyoming.' Before 

 giving an account of his work in this region 

 with Professor Wright, of Wyoming Univer- 

 sity, he described the mineralogical and petro- 

 graphical features of the leucite rocks as they 

 occur in America, and referred to their dis- 

 covery in Wyoming by the members of the 

 40th Parallel Survey. These rocks were orig- 

 inally described by Dr. Zirkel. The speaker 

 then called attention to Dr. Cross's more ex- 

 tended work in the district. His own con- 

 tribiition had to do with the general geology 

 of the Leucite Hills. As many as seventeen 

 separate mesas and buttes isolated by erosion 

 have been mapped, representing in most 

 cases single extrusive and intrusive flows of 

 these rare rocks. They are found in sand- 

 stones near the top of the Cretaceous, and 

 their distribution and field relations tend to 

 confirm the view that they are volcanic out- 

 pourings at different times from a laccolithic 

 resei'voir of great extent, which is nowhere 

 exposed at the surface. Lantern slides were 

 used in illustrating the geology, and speci- 

 mens of the rocks in question were exhibited. 

 George I. Finlav, 

 Secretary pro tern. 



COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL 

 CLUB. 



February IS. — The concluding discussion of 

 the new classification of the igneous rocks 

 was opened by Professor Kemp. It was ac- 

 tively participated in by members of the club. 

 The educational aspect of the subject was 

 particularly considered. 



Dr. Julien reviewed two short papers from 

 a late number of the Bulletin de la Societe 

 Oeologique de France. 



February 20. — Mr. D. W. Johnson reviewed 

 a paper by W. M. Davis on the ' Fresh-water 

 Tertiary Formations of the Rocky Mountain 

 Region,' and then gave a paper on the ' Flu- 

 viatile Origin of the Santa Fe Marls in New 

 Mexico.' This paper aroused much discus- 

 sion. Dr. A. F. Rogers exliibited some speci- 

 mens of galena showing multiple twinning. 



Fehruary 27. — Dr. Julien reviewed several 

 papers in a late number of the Bulletin de la 

 Societe Geologique de France, especially an 

 essay by H. Douville on -the ' Revision and 

 Distribution of Orbitolites and Orbitoides 

 from the Chalk.' Professor Grabau reviewed 

 a late paper by Mr. Schuchert on the ' Lower 

 Devonic and Ontario Formations of Mary- 

 land.' 



H. W. Shimer. 



THE CONNECTICUT BOTANICAL SOCIETY. 



The society was organized in New Haven, 

 January 24, 1903, and the following officers 

 elected : 



President — Professor Alexander W. Evans. 



Vice-President — ^Dr. C. B. Graves. 



Recording Secretary and Treasurer — Dr. E. H. 

 Eames. 



Corresponding Secretary — Mr. E. B. Harger, 

 Oxford, Conn. 



For the compilation of accurate informa- 

 tion towards a catalogue of the fiora of the 

 state, a committee on the higher plants was 

 appointed, while another on the lower crj-p- 

 togams remains to be selected. 



The former committee consists of Dr. C. 

 B. Graves, New London; Dr. E. H. Fames, 

 Bridgeport; Mr. C. IT. Bissell, Southington; 

 Mr. L. Andrews, Southington; Mr. E. B. 



