454 THE KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



birds arc noted, among them, the Morning Warbler, the Palm Warbler, the 

 Swallow-tailed Hawk, and Western Prairie Falcon, etc., and a notice and de- 

 scrijDtion of an albino female King-bird, taken at Silver Lake in the spring 

 of 1874. This is a true ra?'a avis, as albinos are nowhere common, and among 

 the Fly-catcher family, to which the King-bird belongs, are very rare. The 

 j)aper notes also the discovery of the nest and eggs of Nuttall's Whippoor- 

 will, a bird which is frequent in occurrence near Topeka. 



Facts are given relating to the eastern or western distributions in Kan- 

 sas of many species, from notes taken during an expedition of two months' 

 duration, to Eooks and G-raham Counties. 



F. G. Adams exhibited a black-board sketch showing a section of surface 

 geology adjacent to Topeka, together with specimens of materials illustrating 

 the section and explained what appeared to be the relations of the materials 

 to the soils of the neighborhood. 



A brief discussion followed, in which Prof. Snow mentioned what he had 

 observed of interest and profit to an agricultural community growing out of 

 such observations in connection with the Essex Institute in Massachusetts. 



Prof. Mudge presented a statement of the remarkable discoveries made 

 during the past season, in Colorado, of new genera and species of Dinosaurs. 

 The first were brought to light b}- Prof. A. Lakes, of Colorado, and others 

 since by Prof. M. Three species are larger than any land animal heretofore 

 known. The size of a few of the bones will give a close idea of the whole 

 animal. The thigh bone (femur) is five feet eight inches in length, weigh- 

 ing 380 pounds. The shoulder blade (scapula) was six feet two inches long. 

 Vertebra fifteen inches in diameter. 



1^0 entire skeleton was found, but one entire hind leg, including the toes, 

 measured thirteen feet. As the reptile had long hind legs, and the ability 

 to stand erect upon them, his head, when in this position, was thirty-five 

 feet from the ground. When living he must have weighed twenty to twenty- 

 five tons. 



Intermingled with the same deposits were the bones of very small dino- 

 saurs, also new to science, which indicated an animal when living of less than 

 twenty pounds. 



Some of these specimens are in the hands of Prof. Marsh, and a few in 

 the possession of Prof. Cope. 



Prof Kedzie presented a drawing rej^resenting the "Great Spirit Spring" 

 in Mitchell County, and gave a very interesting account of the j)eculiarities 

 of its waters, the singular pond formed by their flow, and of the superstitious 

 veneration with which the springs were regarded by the Indians formerly 

 inhabiting North-western Kansas. 



Miss Annie E. Mozley read a ^' Catalogue of the Snakes of Kansas." 

 The list comprises thirty-five species collected and classified at the State 

 University. 



Prof. Mudge presented a paj^er accompanied by drawings showing the 

 structure of the organs of venom of the rattlesnake. The paper and draw- 

 ings were prepared by L. H. Williston, of New Haven, Connecticut. 



