1876.] Proceedings of Societies. 315 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
Naturat History Soctery, Montreal. — February 28th. A paper 
on the Nipigon or copper-bearing rocks of Lake Superior, with notes on 
copper mining in that region, was read by Mr. J. W. Spencer. 
Principal Dawson called the attention of the members present to an 
interesting collection of ferns and other fossil plants which had been re- 
cently obtained by Mr. Albert J. Hill from near Sydney, Cape Breton, 
some of which were exhibited. He said that they were of interest as show- 
ing the occurrence of forms hitherto known only in the middle and upper 
coal formations, in beds assigned, on stratigraphical evidence, to the upper 
part of the Millstone-Grit. ey were also of interest from the pres- 
ence of at least four species of ferns showing fructification, which would 
shortly be described. They were further of interest as occurring in the 
same beds with the remains of a fossil larva of a dragon-fly, which will 
be described by Mr. Scudder in the next number of the Canadian Nat- 
uralist, and which is the first insect of that family found in the Carbon- 
iferous rocks. 
ACADEMY OF Sciences, St. Louis. — March 6th. Professor Conant, 
who had lately visited Southwest Missouri and examined certain curious 
mounds there, situated some miles from New Madrid, gave a brief ac- 
count of his trip. One curious discovery made was that while the skulls 
taken from the centre of these mounds were the true mound-builder 
skulls, two were found in the edge of one of the mounds that belonged 
to a very different race. The exceedingly low, retreating forehead indi- 
cated a much lower grade of organism, yet the remains had been buried 
after the mound-builder fashion, with a jug on each side of the head. 
March 20th. Professor Potter reported that Dr. G. I. Engelmann and 
himself had visited the New Madrid mound region, and opened four 
mounds, securing ten or twelve skulls and about one hundred specimens 
of potter 
G. C. Broadhead read a paper on the Porphyritic Rocks of Southeast- 
ern Missouri, presenting evidence that these rocks are Huronian. 
- J. Conant read a paper on the Mounds of New Madrid. The 
burial-mound examined by him was found within an inclosure of about 
fifty acres, which is surrounded by earthen walls. Probably a thousand 
skeletons have been already found. Three pieces of pottery are usually 
found with each skeleton. Some vessel were more than a foot in 
diameter, with walls so thin that they could not have been safely moved 
. When filled with water. It was observed that some skeletons were in a 
much better state of preservation than others. In some cases the out- 
line of the skull was shown only by a thin white line; in others the 
usual pieces of pottery were found, but all traces of the skeleton had 
disappeared. Mr. Conant thought this an evidence that the mounds had 
long been a place of burial, 
