June 11, 1897.] 



SCIENCE. 



925 



SCIENTIFIC JOURNALS. 

 JOURNAL OF GEOLOGY, MAY-JXJNE, 1S97. 



Undeb the title ' The Last Great Baltic 

 Olacier,' Dr. James Geikie replies to the re- 

 cent criticism by Dr. Keilhack.* He gives a 

 brief re-statement of the evidence presented in 

 the Great Ice Age for the belief that the great 

 terminal moraines of the Baltic Ridge are prod- 

 ucts of an independent glacial epoch, quoting 

 Du Pasquier on disputed points. 



The post-Pleistocene elevation of the Inyo 

 range and the Waucobe lake beds of California 

 are discussed by C. D. Walcott. A series of 

 well characterized lake beds in the foot hills of 

 the Sierra Nevada are described. The beds 

 contain fossils any of which ' might be recent or 

 Pliocene' as determined by Dall, but of which 

 the probable age is believed to be Pleistocene. 

 The beds have a maximum thickness of 150 feet 

 and in character resemble the ancient sediments 

 of Lake Lahontan. The strata lie at very dif- 

 ferent levels. There is evidence of faulting and 

 it is believed that there has been recent eleva- 

 tion to the amount of about 3,000 feet. In this 

 connection the Owen Valley earthquake of 1872 

 is recalled. 



In the fifth of his Italian Petrological 

 Sketches, Dr. Henry S. Washington gives a 

 general summary. The composition of the 

 rocks of the Ciminite-Vulsinite-Toscanite series 

 is discussed and its relationships to the Absora- 

 kite-Shoshonite-Banakite series as well as to 

 other intermediate groups is illustrated by 

 analyses and tables. The trachydolerites and 

 the leucitic rocks are also discussed as to com- 

 position and relationship. 



Dr. H. F. Reid gives a summary of the first 

 anuual report of the International Committee 

 on Glaciers. Under each country notes rela- 

 tive to the present phase of glaciation is given. 

 Of the Alpine glaciers a considerable number 

 show the phase of increase. In America the 

 glaciers are in general retreating, though some 

 show the contrary phase. In 1896 the glaciers 

 of Cook's Inlet, Chilcat Pass, and the Glacier 

 Bay region, as well as those of Mt. Ranier, Mt. 

 Hood and the Selkirk mountains were all re- 

 ported as decreasing. 



*Joiiv. GeoJ.,Y., 113-125. 



A sketch of the Geology of Mexico, based 

 upon the recently issued reports of the Geo- 

 logical Institution of Mexico, is presented by 

 Mr. H. F. Bain. 



Among the reviews is an extended discussion, 

 by Mr. C. F. Tolman, of the recent papers by 

 Dr. G. F. Becker on rock differentiation.* 



SOCIETIES AND ACADE3IIES. 



TOEEEY BOTANICAL CLUB, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 

 28, 1897. 



Professor L. M. Underwood, Chairman, 

 Professor N. L. Britton, Secretary, pro tern. 



The first paper was by Professor L. M. Un- 

 derwood, ' Notes on the Ferns of Japan.' 



The immediate occasion of this paper was the 

 receipt during the past year of two separate 

 collections of Japanese ferns of about 50 species 

 each. 



The insular position of Japan, together with 

 a considerable range of latitude, equalling that 

 from St. Paul, Minn., to Mobile, Ala., gives 

 Japan a larger proportion of ferns than we have 

 in the United States, although the area of the 

 islands is only that of the northeastern States 

 as far as the Virginias, together with about one- 

 half of Ohio. 



The ferns are those of temperate climates and 

 agree well with those of the adjacent mainland 

 so far as the latter are known. A few subtrop- 

 ical forms enter the flora, but the really tropical 

 species do not reach the islands. 



Many species are common inhabitants of 

 Europe as well as the eastern United States, but 

 the ferns of Japan otFer very little support to 

 the once prevalent notion of the great similarity 

 to the flora of the eastern United States. In 

 fact about as many Japanese species have as 

 many near allies in Pacific America as in other 

 portions of the country if we exclude the species 

 quite generally distributed through the north 

 temperate zone. 



Discussing the paper. Professor Britton cited 

 a number of instances among spermatophytes, 

 in which species supposed to be common to 

 Japan and eastern North America had been 



*Amer. Joui: Sci. (4), Vol. III., pp. 21-40, Jan., 

 1897. 



