January 19, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



99 



failed to send his manuscript. Extempo- 

 raneous remarks were made after tlie read- 

 ing of each of the memorials, and they 

 were often marked by deep feeling, as one 

 after another of the former students of the 

 departed scientists paid his tribute to his 

 old teacher and friend. The first paper 

 was then read as follows : 



Physiographic terminology with special reference 

 to land forms. By W. M. Davis, Cam- 

 bridge, Mass. 



The paper embraced a critical discussion 

 and a definition of terms, mostly suggested 

 within the last thirty years, for the descrip- 

 tion of land forms. The terms cycle, base- 

 level and grade were considered in detail. 

 The general principle was advocated that 

 terms should be based on observation and 

 should express its results. The geograph- 

 ical cycle was urged as the basis. Instead 

 of the old conceptions of destructional and 

 constructional ; initial, sequential and ulti- 

 mate were suggested. It was urged that 

 for ' base-level' as applied to the limiting 

 conditions of the development of a river 

 ' graded slope' be substituted — as base- 

 level has now a variety of meanings. 

 Other terms involving the syllables ' se- 

 quent,' such as consequent, obsequent, in- 

 sequent, subsequent, etc., were suggested 

 and defined. In discussion B. K. Emerson 

 referred to the difficulty of remembering 

 the distinctions in meaning among so many 

 similar terms, a remark that struck a sym- 

 pathetic chord in the minds of all teachers 

 present. 



Camas Land, a valley remnant. By Geo. Otis 



Smith and Geo. Carroll Curtis, AVash- 



ington, D. C, and Boston, Mass. 



A description was given of the remnant 



of an old valley on the eastern slope of the 



Cascade Mountains, in Washington (Mt. 



Stuart quadrangle). Camas Land owes 



its preservation above the circumdenuda- 



tion to an intrusive sheet of diabase. A 



relief model of Camas Land was exhibited 

 which made clear to all present the pecu- 

 liar phenomena of the region and the rear- 

 rangement of the drainage. Discussion by 

 W. M. Davis and M. R. Campbell ensued, 

 which, however, would require the model 

 to be intelligible to one not present. 



Some coast migrations, Southern California. By 

 Bailey Willis, Washington, D. C. 

 The section of the California coast de- 

 scribed extends from Point Sur to Piedras 

 Blancas, between Monterey and San Luis 

 Obispo. Formations constituting the Santa 

 Lucia Range of the Coast Ranges were de- 

 scribed, their relations to eacli other stated, 

 and the corresponding migrations of the 

 Pacific Coast were indicated with probabil- 

 ity. A review of the observations of Fair- 

 banks was presented. 



It was shown that the oldest rocks con- 

 stitute a series of metamorphic schists and 

 that on these rest the Jurassic, Cretaceous, 

 Miocene and Pliocene series. The schists 

 are intruded by granite. Five thousand 

 feet above the Pacific the Miocene beds are 

 met dipping eastward and thinning out in 

 that direction. This indicates a great land 

 area which must have existed in the Mio- 

 cene, where now is the Pacific ocean ; 3000 

 feet above the sea, folded Pliocene strata oc- 

 cur. There are, therefore, two submergences 

 indicated and great elevation and disturb- 

 ances in comparatively recent geologic time. 



Submerged forest of the Columbia River. By 

 G. K. Gilbert, Washington, D. C. 

 At the Cascades the Columbia river flows 

 over a natural dam of rock fragments. In 

 the pond above stand sound stumps of 

 Douglas spruce. Of various explanations 

 proposed that first suggested by Lewis and 

 Clai'k and repeated by Gibbs and Newberry 

 accords best with the facts. The river was 

 dammed by a land slide from the north not 

 less than 350 years ago. 



The speaker reviewed the explanations 



