45° 



SCIENTIFIC NKWS. 



[May II, if 



slight elevation of the unloaded strata within the denuded 

 elliptical area known as the " San Rafael Swell." After 

 alluding to Button's suggestions that the phenomenon re- 

 ferred to is analogous to the action of creeping in deep 

 mines, the author discussed the nature of such " creeps," 

 which he defined as the thickening of the parts of beds 

 from which a load of superincumbent rock has been 

 lifted, caused by a thinning of the adjoining parts which 

 remained loaded, some of the substance of the latter 

 having been squeezed out to furnish the material for the 

 thickening, and suggested that some of the subsidiary 

 plications found on the flanks of mountains are caused 

 by the thrusts arising from creeps. He also paralleled 

 the fissures in the precipices of the Grand Canon District 

 with those produced in the pillars of coal owing to the 

 strain induced by the slight inequality in the yielding of 

 the bed supporting it, and pointed out how such fissures 

 would facilitate denudation, giving instances recorded by 

 Button, and that an appreciable influence might be thus 

 produced in all cases of mountain-denudation. 



The author next considered the case of a body of 

 molten rock below a considerable mass of solid rock. 

 The pressure upon the molten mass would cause move- 

 ment to take place towards the point where the superin- 

 cumbent weight was least, provided that absolute equi- 

 librium did not exist. The overlying rocks being more 

 or less plastic, some horizontal movement of the solid 

 rocks at the confines of the molten mass, and subjected to 

 its influence, might be looked for. Any such yielding 

 would tend to draw apart the solid crust resting upon the 

 molten rock, and the ground would open along lines of 

 weakness, such as would be produced b^ the presence of 

 joints, the crust in some cases breaking up into larger or 

 smaller fragments. 



When a large mass of molten matter occurred near the 

 surface, and a fissure was produced in the way described, 

 the weight of the ruptured crust would, if the plastic 

 mass beneath were sufficiently liquid, cause the latter to 

 rise in the fissure, producing dykes. Attention was 

 called to the fact observed by Button that basaltic vents 

 frequently occur on the brink of cliffs, but never at their 

 bases ; also to the existence of dykes having a strike 

 parallel to the Colorado River. In most cases the ver- 

 tical fissures which received the molten rock would begin 

 to open from below, and the upper strata might altogether 

 escape rupture. 



The author discussed the case of the Henry Mountains, 

 and explained the formation of flat-topped and flat-bot- 

 tomed dykes according to his views. He next called 

 attention to the influence which the motions of the rocks 

 had exercised in determining directions of drainage when 

 fissures left unfilled became occupied by streams. He 

 next alluded to river-valleys, the existence of which had 

 been accounted for by " antecedent " and " superim- 

 posed " drainage, and suggested difficulties in the way of 

 accepting the explanations hitherto advanced, and con- 

 sidered them to be instances of fissuring produced by 

 movements of the strata due to the pressure of a mass of 

 molten or highly plastic rock spreading laterally. 



After treating of the formation of faults with normal 

 hade, which he referred in some cases to rupture of the 

 solid crust by the spread of avast mass of viscous matter 

 lying beneath it (the faults being sometimes replaced 

 above by monoclinal folds), he referred, in conclusion, to 

 the extent of the horizontal compression of the earth's 

 superficial crust which is seen to be associated with the 

 elevation of mountain-ranges, and called attention to some 



evidence that the thickening of the strata caused thereby 

 would be more considerable and general than ordinarily 

 supposed. 



"Notes on a Recent T)\scove.ry ol Stigmariaficoides 

 at Clayton, Yorkshire." By Samuel A. Adamson, Esq., 

 F.G.S. 



The specimen described was obtained in November, 

 i8S7,from the beds between the Better-bed Coal .and the 

 Elland Flagstone of the Fall -top Quarries of Messrs.. 

 Murgatroyd. The author gave measurements of the 

 specimen, and compared them with those of another 

 found in the same quarry in i8S6, and now preserved in 

 the Owens College, and with those of a third obtained in 

 an adjoining quarry. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 At the meeting of the Scientific Committee held on 

 April 34th, Mr. Burbidge gave the following further 

 particulars about the remarkable form of fringed daffodil 

 described at the last meeting. He said that there existed 

 but a single clump in the lawn of Rev. Mr. Gabbet, 

 Croom Rectory, Co. Limerick. The flowers had come 

 true for several years. It was associated with A'', sptiriiis- 

 and N. Telemouius [plenits), the former seeding itself. 

 It appears to be a sport from N. spurius, but nothing 

 certain is known of its actual origin. 



Specimens of the not uncommon phenomenon, self- 

 mutilation of hyacinths, v^'ere sent from Colonel Urquhart, 

 of Rosebay, Broughty Ferry, for information as to the 

 cause. The spikes have the appearance of being pinched 

 oft' when first emerging from the bulb. The cause is 

 apparently twofold ; on the one hand, the bud-scales at 

 the top are too rigid, while on the other the spike was- 

 well nourished ; the result being, that the insufficient 

 expansion of the scales checked the development of the 

 spike at the place where it becomes decapitated. The 

 probable explanation was the excessively fine season of 

 1S87, the "ripening off " bringing about the rigidity of 

 the bulb-scales, at the same time favouring the formation 

 of the spike within. Mr. Burbidge observed that it is a 

 noticeable fact that the Chinese gash their bulbs with 

 three slits at the top, to allow of the free escape of the 

 spike, and to prevent such constrictions. 



On a further examination of the hazel catkins 

 brought to the last meeting by Br. Masters from 

 Mr. Syme, Mr. Henslow observed that, besides bearing 

 female catkins at the base of the male, the latter were 

 proliferous, the basal branches being covered with 

 staminate flowers resembling the so-called " Egyptian 

 Wheat," a variety of Revett's, on w-hich several of the 

 spikelets grow out into ears ; so that five or more may 

 proceed from one stalk. These two peculiarities — the 

 proliferous state of the male catkins and the presence of 

 female ones — corroborated the conclusion arrived at by 

 Mr. Meehan, of Philadelphia, who observed in various- 

 declinous trees, that the female flowers were always 

 associated with a relatively greater degree of vigour ; or 

 conversely, that an increased vigour produced female 

 flowers, when normally nothing but male would have 

 appeared. 



Br. Masters received a communication from M. Naudin, 

 inwhich he speaksof the hardiness oi Ecalyputiis wnigera 

 at Brest and elsewhere, where it is subject to occasional 

 severe frosts. He says that E. coccifeva will compare 

 favourably with it, as also E. 'obninalis (falsely called E. 

 amygdalina), which is nearlj' as hardy. The last severe 



