1890.] Proceedings of Scientific Societies. 205 
PROCEEDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 
Boston Society of Natural History.— Prof. W. Putnam, the 
president, announced the death of Leo Lequereaux, of Columbus, O., 
a corresponding member. Dr. Thomas Dwight read a paper on ‘‘ The 
Joints and Muscles of Contortionists,’’ illustrated by stereopticon. He 
said that {there were contortionists in ancient Egypt, but very poor 
ones. Those of Greece and Rome were better, but those of modern 
times have still more ability. He showed some pictures of medizeval 
and modern contortionists in different positions, and said that for 
backward contortion no very great variation from the normal in ana- 
tomical structure was required, but there must be a large amount of 
gristle in the spinal column, as is the case in all children. In forward 
work, however, an abnormal structure is required, as the contortionist 
must have the power to partly dislocate his joints in order to get his 
limbs into the required positions. The performers of both classes 
must be able to relax the antagonistic muscles,—that is, those that pull 
in an opposite direction to which it is desired to bend. 
Secretary Fewkes then read a communication from Prof. G. Fred- 
erick Wright, of Oberlin, in regard to a little carved figure of a man 
that was thrown up from a depth of three hundred and twenty feet be- 
low the surface of the ground, while boring for an artesian well at 
Nampa, I. T. This was accompanied by an opinion from Prof. S. F. 
Emmons, that the formation from which the figure came was older than 
any other where human implements have previously been found. The 
gentlemen who took part in the discussion were Profs. Putnam, H. W. 
Haines, Edward S. Morse, S. H. Scudder, and E. D. Cope, and Mr. 
Warren Upham. Prof. Cope stated that the formation underlying the 
lava bed in that part of Idaho, is the Pliocene lacustrine deposit, 
which he had called the Idaho Terrane. The general opinion seemed 
to be that the image was authentic, and that it was carved in the late 
tertiary period by a member of a race that was far advanced in 
development for so remote a period. Mr. Scudder was the only 
speaker who dissented from this opinion. 
American Geological Society.—The annual meeting was held 
December 26-28, 1889, at the American Museum of Natural History, 
New York. The following papers were read December 26th : Some Ad- 
ditional Evidences Bearing on the Interval between the Leading Glacial 
Epochs; T. C. Chamberlain, Madison, Wis. The Tertiaries of Massa- 
