Geology and Mineralogy. 399 



Mineral Resources of the United States for the years 1883 and 

 1884, mentions (p. 940) that in Ventura County, thick mineral 

 oil or pitch oozes or flows from the beds of the Sierra de Azufre, 

 called also the Petroleum range, into the Santa Paula valley, 

 and forms surface deposits, moving down the ravines, partly 

 solidifying into rock-like masses, and partly forming lazy streams 

 in the beds of rivulets. In the wet season these beds carry water, 

 but during the dry and warm part of the year exhibit delusive 

 reflecting surfaces of shining tar, generally mingled with a little 

 calcareous water, which serves to delude all kinds of living crea- 

 tures into the belief that they may there slake their thirst. Thus 

 gophers, moles, squirrels, rabbits, all kinds of birds from the buz- 

 zard and hawk to the canary, as well as all kinds of insects may 

 be found just caught or completely submerged in the pitiless 

 viscid mass, which rarely releases a victim once touched. The 

 frequent occurrence of bones of lambs and calves sometimes 

 proves that even these larger animals are entrapped ; and the 

 human^f-e^t may not escape the grip without loss of boot or shoe. 

 The history of Taconic investigation previous to the work 

 of Professor Emmons; by J. D. Dana. — The following notes are 

 from the opening part of an Address on Berkshire Geology, 

 delivered before the Berkshire Historical Society, at Pittsfield, 

 Mass., in February, 1885. 



The earlier workers in this field were Professor Amos Eaton, Dr. 

 Chester Dewey, Professor Ebenezer Emmons and Professor Ed- 

 ward Hitchcock. Three of the four were graduates of Williams 

 College; Eaton in 1799, Dewey in 1806, and Emmons in 1818. 



Professor Eaton, after examinations, as he says, of the High- 

 lands on the Hudson, the Catskill Mountains, the Green Moun- 

 tains, and some other points, with old Kirwan as his text-book on 

 rocks and minerals, put himself, in 1816, under the instruction of 

 Professor Silliman, at New Haven, and heard two of his courses 

 of lectures on mineralogy and geology. In March of the next 

 year, the zealous naturalist, now doubly charged with enthusiasm 

 — his own reenforced with that of his eloquent teacher — began a 

 course of lectures at Williams College, with specimens supplied 

 him by Professor Silliman and a collection made by Professor 

 Dewey, then Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy 

 and Lecturer on Chemistry in the College ; and " such was the 

 zeal," says Mr. Eaton, " that an uncontrollable enthusiasm for 

 Natural History took possession of every mind, and other de- 

 partments of learning were, for a time, crowded out of college. 

 The college authorities allowed twelve students each day (72 per 

 week), to devote their whole time to the collection of minerals, 

 plants, etc., in lieu of all other exercises." 



Mr. Eaton, while there, gathered specimens of rocks from all 

 directions, through his students. He also made two tours from 

 Boston across Massachusetts ; and by 1820 he had examined the 

 rocks along several sections between Massachusetts and the Hud- 

 son, besides making various excursions elsewhere — 2,000 miles of 

 which, he says, were made on foot. 



