10 



REPOBT ON THE GEOLOGICAL DEPAKTMENT. 



By Josiah D. Whitney, Sturgis-Hooper Professor. 



The geological department of the Museum has gone on, during 

 the year 1881-82, very much as in former ones, although the 

 number of special students has been small. Instruction was 

 given in geology and lithology to two candidates for the higher 

 degrees, their work in the field and laboratory having been 

 supervised by the Professor and the Assistant, Dr. Wadsworth. 



The latter has continued his connection with the Museum, a 

 considerable part of his time having been occupied by the prepara- 

 tion of a subject card catalogue of papers and works in lithology, 

 intended for the use of students in this department. Nearly 

 every lithological paper and work of value can now be found 

 either in the University Library, or in that of the Sturgis-Hooper 

 Professor or his Assistant. 



The collections in lithology have been considerably increased 

 during the past year. During the summer Dr. Wadsworth made 

 a geological excursion to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and New 

 Brunswick, and was thus enabled to add a considerable number 

 of specimens, not only of rocks, but of substances illustrative 

 of the economical geology of that region. He also has collected 

 in continuation of work previously done with the object of throw- 

 ing light on the geology of this vicinity. A valuable lot of build- 

 ing-stones was given by Mr. J. E. Wolff. Doctors Faxon and 

 Fewkes also presented specimens of rocks collected by them 

 during summer-vacation visits to Bermuda and Maine. A num- 

 ber of meteorites have been added by purchase. An arrange- 

 ment has been made with Mr. J. S. Diller, Geologist to the Assos 

 Expedition, with the consent of the Director of that work, by 

 which the rocks collected in the course of that survey, and the 

 thin sections prepared to be used in their description, shall be 

 turned over to our collection when the same are no longer re- 

 quired for use by the Geologist of the Expedition. 



Professor Huntington has continued the preparation of micro- 



