RECORDS 467 



R. Ellsworth Call, The Newburg Mastodon and Its As- 

 sociated Fauna. 



Summary of Papers. 



Dr. Thorndike described some of the features of the mental 

 life of the monkeys, contrasting their behavior and abiHties 

 with those of other mammals. He presented evidence show- 

 ing the importance of the use of the fore-limbs, delicate dis- 

 crimination in vision, and incessant general activity as factors in 

 the mental development of the monkeys. He also reported in 

 detail some observations concerning their formation of various 

 intelligent habits, which hint at a near relationship to the human 

 methods of learning. 



Mr. Maedougal stated that the roots of an extremely large 

 number of plants form asssociations with fungi in such manner 

 that a felt of hyphae a millimeter or more in thickness covers 

 the surface, or the fungus may penetrate the tissues and develop 

 coils and clumps of hyphae in the cortex, from which a number 

 of tubes extend out into the soil. 



Roots alone may absorb only minute quantities of the com- 

 plex products of decomposition of organic matter, but fungi 

 derive almost their entire supply from such sources. The 

 union of the root and fungus result in the latter yielding some 

 of the absorbed humous products to the higher plant. The 

 fungus in turn receives more or less shelter and certain carbo- 

 hydrates which it uses as food to advantage. 



Associations of such symbiotic nature are followed by degen- 

 erations of the stele and of the general structure of the root 

 stems, and leaves of the higher plant. 



Dr. Call referred to the general geological structure of the 

 region about Newburg, which is Hudson River group rock, 

 for country rock, surmounted with a heavy deposit of glacial 

 till. The remains of the mastodon which were under dis- 

 cussion were in the upper portion of the till, partially imbedded 

 in it, and capped with from four to six feet of a black soil rich 

 with vegetable debris. The locality is in a depression of con- 



