Decembek 4, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



847 



Mr. Frederick Braun described his discovery 

 of spinels and chondrodite in dolomite, at Ford- 

 ham, New York City, an association closely re- 

 sembling that at Edenville, N. Y. It was dis- 

 cussed by Prof. J. F. Kemp, who remarked on 

 the interest attached to this association of min- 

 erals because of the difference of opinions pre- 

 vailing among geologists as to whether they in- 

 dicated contact metamorphism or merely re- 

 gional metamorphism. 



The last paper of the evening was by Prof. 

 J. F. Kemp, entitled ' Exhibition of interesting 

 minerals collected during the summer.' The 

 speaker exhibited covellite, goslarite, enargite, 

 chalcodite and tetrahedrite from Butte, Mon- 

 tana, which were exceptionally fine crystals. 

 Remarkably large prisms of andalusite from the 

 Black Hills were also shown and zircons and 

 allanite from Mineville, Essex County, New 

 York. 



A collection of chalcodite from a quarry near 

 Reading, Pennsylvania, was exhibited by Mr. 

 Roebling, of Trenton, New Jersey, in connection 

 with the paper by Prof. Chester. 



The Academy then adjourned to inspect the 

 minerals. J. F. Kemp, 



Secretary. 



ANTHROPOLOGICAL SOCIETY OP WASHINGTON. 



The 253d regular meeting of the Anthropo- 

 logical Society was held Tuesday, the 17th of 

 November, 1896. 



Dr. J. H. McCormick read a paper on a 

 ' Primitive Village Site in Maryland,' in which 

 he described a discovery of an Indian village 

 site recently made by him, in Montgomery 

 county, Md., about thirty miles from Washing- 

 ton. He exhibited a collection found upon, 

 and near the site, which illustrated perhaps, 

 better than any other collection, the con- 

 temporaneous existence of the rude chipped 

 stone implements and the most highly polished 

 stone implements associated together, which 

 substantiates Prof. W. H. Holmes's claim of the 

 contemporaneity of the Palaeolithic and neo- 

 lithic ages. It was also noted that these imple- 

 ments, contrary to the usual rule, increased in 

 this region , as we approached the interior, and 

 that the camp site was always situated north- 



east from water supply, whether spring or 

 stream. 



The implements were discussed at some 

 length, and compared to many specimens 

 found in various parts of the United States. 

 For the most part they were of stone not found 

 in the vicinity. Several ceremonial stones, of 

 exquisite workmanship, were of the Tennessee 

 slate and one a phallus. The paper was dis- 

 cussed by Messrs. McGee, Thos. Wilson, Pierce, 

 Blodgett, Cushing and Mason. 



Mr. Cushing read a paper on the * Shell 

 Mound Explorations from Maine to Florida,' 

 in which he described the recent explorations 

 of the shell heaps in Maine and Florida. He 

 exhibited a beautiful collection from the Florida 

 coast and described the Pile dwellings and arti- 

 ficial islands and inlets made by these primative 

 people. The specimens were found in the peat 

 and marl beds of the Mangrove swamps and 

 were obtained with much difficulty owing to the 

 inflow of water into the excavations. The 

 specimens showed the soaked condition in which 

 they had existed for centuries, and upon drying, 

 cracked and shrunk to such an extent, that 

 many specimens broke into innumerable pieces. 

 Among the most unique and beautiful speci- 

 mens were the masks, of which water color 

 drawings had been made as soon as they were 

 taken from their bed, for by the following day 

 the shrinkage had so disturbed them as to have 

 lost their beauty. 



Mr. Cushing called attention to the fact that 

 there were no bows used, but throwing sticks 

 instead and that the inhabitants were related to 

 the southern and not to northern Indians, and 

 suggested that perhaps the Seminoles were the 

 survivors of this ancient race of people. The 

 collection, as a whole, was the most striking 

 and valuable ever found in these regions. 

 J. H. McCormick, 



Secretary. 



geological conference of harvard UNI- 

 VERSITY. 



October 13, 1896. — 'The Eruptive Rocks of 

 Sussex County, N. J.' By J. E. Wolflf. 



' Note on the proposed Excursion to the 

 Coastal Plain of Southern Maine.' By. W. M. 

 Davis. 



