812 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. V. No. 12&. 



in the axes of folds, in the mountain groups of 

 the plains of Montana, and one of the front 

 ranges of the Eocky Mountains. In applying 

 the term laccolith to such masses there is a 

 wide departure from the original use of the 

 word. It is therefore used provisionally, the 

 right being reserved to designate such concavo- 

 convex lenticular masses by an appropriate 

 name at a future time. 



The presence of such intrusions is believed to 

 be due to causes in marked contrast to those of 

 laccoliths. On the normal laccolith the intru- 

 sion causes the arching of previously horizontal 

 strata. In the masses described the intrusion 

 follows or accompanies the folding and is de- 

 pendent upon it ; that folding is the cause and 

 not the result of igneous intrusion. The author 

 offers a theory to explain the intrusion of such 

 masses, utilizing the discussion of folds by "Wil- 

 lis and by Van Hise to show that intrusion 

 from below would be most easy at the hinge of 

 such uplifts or the arch of synclines, and that 

 such intrusion could not penetrate far, owing to 

 compression near the concave surface of arches, 

 so that further intrusion would be along a strata 

 or other bed of easy parting toward the center 

 of the fold when the presence of an arch due to 

 a competent strata of limestone would leave a 

 space beneath of little compression and conse- 

 quent easy filling by the liquid magma. 



W. P. MOESELL. 



XJ. S. Geological Sdevey. 



SCIENCE CLUB OF NORTHWESTERN tlNIVEESITY. 



At a meeting of the Science Club of North- 

 western University, held on Friday evening. 

 May 7th, inst. , a paper was read by Miss Mary 

 E. Gloss on the ' Mesophyll of Ferns.' The 

 theory of the formation of the palisade tissue 

 in intense sunlight does not seem to apply in 

 the case of ferns. All the species examined 

 were grown in diffused light, with one excep- 

 tion ; some have palisade parenchyma and some 

 have not ; the presence or absence of the pali- 

 sade parenchyma was nearly constant through- 

 out each of the genera examined, which may 

 prove to be a generic characteristic. The pres- 

 ence or absence of chlorophyll in the epidermis, 

 the form and arrangement of the cells of the 

 mesophyll, the size of the air spaces and the 



thickness of the mesophyll appear to be nearly 

 constant in each of the genera examined. The 

 genera most carefully examined were Adian- 

 tum, Aspidium, Nephrolepis and Polypodium. 

 The investigation will be continued until a large 

 number of genera has been covered. 



Thomas F. Holgatb, 



Secretary. 



the TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



At the May meeting of the Texas Academy 

 of Science, held on the evening of the 7th inst. , 

 the following papers were presented : 



' The Properties of the Living Substance,' by 

 Dr. Edmund Montgomery, of Hemstead, Texas. 



' An Account of some Applications of the Bes- 

 sel Functions to Astronomy,' by Harry Y. 

 Benedict, of Cambridge, Mass. 



' A Note on a Generalization of the Numbers 

 of Couchy, ' also by Mr. Benedict. 



' Triazines andTriazoles,' by James R. Bailey 

 and S. F. Acree. 



'On the Constitution of a By-product obtained 

 in the Preparation of Hydrazopropionic Acid,' 

 by James R. Bailey and Henry B. Dechard. 



The last named papers embody the results of 

 some original work performed in the chemical 

 laboratory of the State University, under the 

 direction of Mr. Bailey, the senior author. 



Major Button's address on the 'The Eco- 

 nomics of Concentrated Capital,' and Professor 

 Nagle's paper on ' Vertical Curves for Rail- 

 ways, ' now in press, will be ready for distribu- 

 tion in a few days. 



Frederic W. Simonds. 



University of Texas. 



NEW BOOKS. 

 Orundriss der Entwicklungsgeschichte der Men- 



schen und der Saugetheere. OsCAR Schultze. 



Zweite Halfte. Leipzig, Engelmann. 1897. 



Pp. vii+468. M. 6. 

 Dynamic Sociology. Lester F. Ward. New 



York, D. Appleton & Co. 2d Ed. 1897. 



Vol. I., pp. xl+706. Vol. II., pp. vii+690. 

 Bird Life. Frank M. Chapman. New York, 



D. Appleton & Co. 1897. Pp. xii+269. 



$1.75. 

 Antiquities of Tennessee. Gates P. Thruston. 



Cincinnati, The Robert Clarke Co. 1897. 



Pp. xv+369. 



