February 9, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



221 



and were found ranging in size from three 

 Inches to two feet in diameter. When left 

 to dry they fall to pieces. Some were ob- 

 served partly buried in the mud ; and it is 

 probable that many have been covered up 

 by flood deposits. 



Thomsonite and other zeolites from Golden, 

 Colorado. By Horace B. Patton, Golden, 

 Colo. 



The points of interest are remarkably 

 beautiful and delicate masses of Thomsonite 

 recently found, and the extraordinary va- 

 riety in habit of this material in the same 

 and closely adjacent cavities. The paper 

 was accompanied by photographs. 



The peneplain question upon the Pacfiic Coast. 

 By H. "W. Fairbanks, Berkeley, Calif. 



A topographic study of the islands of Southern 

 California. By W. S. Tangier Smith, 

 Berkeley, Calif. Presented by Andrew C. 

 Lawson. 



The islands are classified according to 

 their general physiographic features, and 

 the main reasons for the pronounced differ- 

 ences found are given. The physiography 

 of each island is then considered in some 

 detail, and a general description of the sub- 

 marine features of the coast of California 

 (particularly in the south) is also given. 

 This is followed by a consideration of the 

 chief conditions governing the formation 

 and preservation of terraces and other wave- 

 formed features. Finally, the most recent 

 movements of the coast are considered, 

 with the conclusion that the islands have 

 moved in unison with the mainland. 



An early geological excursion. By Joseph Lb 



CoNTE, Berkeley, Calif. 



An informal narrative of a camping trip 

 in 1844 to Lake Superior, thence up the St. 

 Louis river, thence by portage into the upper 

 tributaries of the Mississippi, thence down 

 that river to Fort Snelling, thence by 

 steamer to G-alena, St. Louis, and Pittsburg, 



and finally by rail],back to N"ew York. The 

 paper was of interest chiefly from a histor- 

 ical point of view. For example : The writer 

 went to Lake Superior with the first mining 

 party (Colonel Gratiot's) that opened the 

 Lake Superior copper mines and camped 

 with the party for three weeks at Eagle 

 Harbor. Afterj^leaving Eagle Harbor on a 

 canoe trip of about 800 miles, only three or 

 four white men were seen. The canoe was 

 drawn up on the very spots where Duluth 

 and Minneapolis now stand, but many years 

 before those cities existed. Many impor- 

 tant geological observations were made and 

 recorded for the first time, but the writer 

 was too young to appreciate their full sig- 

 nificance. 



Some coast migrations, Southern California. By 

 Bailey Willis, Washington, D. C. 

 The sequence of events discussed in the 

 paper includes (1) the development of the 

 Santa Lucia series ; (2) erosion of the 

 Santa Lucia series ; (3) deposition of the 

 Franciscan conglomerate, sandstone and 

 shale ; (4) erogenic movements which re- 

 sulted in profound deformation of the 

 Franciscan formations ; (5) deep erosion 

 of the Santa Lucia and Franciscan rocks, 

 which is partly represented in later sedi- 

 ments ; (6) evolution of the present moun- 

 tain system and coastal front. The paper 

 presents observations made during a trip 

 from Monterey to San Luis Obispo along 

 the intervening coast ranges. The writer 

 was accompanied by Dr. H. W. Fairbanks, 

 in whose articles many of the facts pre- 

 sented have already been published. 



The sandstone reefs of Brazil. By J. C. Bran- 

 NER, Stanford University. 



The geological significance of soil study. By 

 E. W. HiLGARD, Berkeley, Calif. 

 This paper discusses, first, the importance 

 and convenience of observations on soil 

 areas and their characteristic vegetation, in 

 the delineation of geological formations. It 



