1877. ] Proceedings of Societies. 5T 
all of those who, either as students or teachers, may desire to avail them- 
selves of the advantages of study and research here afforded.” 
Conducted in this spirit, and with the patronage of an intelligent pub- 
lic, we may hope for most excellent results. It affords the only means 
in the country for the study of the development of marine animals dur- | 
ing the winter months, and affords a rare opportunity to naturalists in 
the city of New York, whom we personally envy. 
PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
Iowa ACADEMY OF Sciences, Iowa City. — June 23d. Prof. C. E. 
Bessey presented A Preliminary Catalogue of the Lichens of Iowa. 
His list of twenty-six species, collected principally in Central Iowa, in- 
cludes probably about one fifth of the entire lichens of the State. He 
presented also A Preliminary Catalogue of the Orthoptera of Iowa, in- 
cluding thirty-nine species found in Central and Southeastern Iowa. 
Mounds and Mound-Builders was the subject of a carefully prepared 
paper by Dr. P. J. Farnsworth, of Clinton, tending to show that the 
mound-builders were identical in race with the historical Indians of 
North America. The evidence offered was mainly based on resemblances 
in anatomical structure and modes of burial between the mound-builders _ 
and still existing Indian tribes. 
Prof. Samuel Calvin, of the state university, described seven New 
Species of paleozoic Fossils, found mainly in Howard and Floyd coun- 
ties, Iowa. He also presented a Notice of a Probable new Species of 
Elephant, from the modified drift near West Union, Iowa. The structure 
of the teeth differs from that of either Elephans Americanus or E. prim- 
Prof. F. M. Witter presented Notes on the Land and Fresh-Water 
Shells found near Muscatine, of which he has determined fifty-two 
species. 
The Deposits of the Chemung Group in Iowa were described by Pro- 
fessor Calvin as occupying a narrow area along the south side of Lime 
Creek for a few miles above Rockford, Floyd County, Iowa. It was shown 
that forty-five of the fossils of the group do not occur in other rocks in 
Towa, and this together with the position of the deposits renders it proper 
to refer the group to a period above the Hamilton or to the Chemung. 
The further fact that three fourths of all the fossils in the group have 
been found nowhere else in the world, justifies the application of some 
distinctive title to the epoch, and the name “ Rockford Shales ” was pro- 
posed. 
Professor Calvin also presented A Preliminary Notice of the Occur- 
Fence of Marcellus Shales in Iowa. This paper had reference to the 
discovery of a dark, somewhat bituminous shale beneath the Hamilton 
