622 Proceedings of Scientific Societies. [July, 



Mr. Lesley read a paper from Dr. Newberry on the origin of 

 the Lake basins, and remarked upon the relations of Dr. Newber- 

 ry's claims to Professor Spencer's discoveries and views. He 

 then gave a sketch of the progress of the excavations at Assos 

 during the last few months, under the auspices of the Boston 

 Archaeological Society. 



Dec. 2. — " Notes on the Laramie group, in the vicinity of Ra- 

 ton, New Mexico," by Professor J. J. Stevenson, was read by 



Dec. 1 6.— Mr. Price described the rockery on the grounds of 

 the University of Pennsylvania. 



Professor Cope presented two papers of the geological explor- 

 ation of the Big-Horn region, with special reference to the Eocene 



Philadelphia Academy Natural Sciences. Jan. 24.— Mr. 

 Skinner called attention to specimens of Dryocampa imperiahs, 

 which he exhibited. The insect had reached perfection in the 

 chrysalis stage but had failed to emerge. 



Dr. Koenig exhibited a specimen of monosite from the mica 

 mine of Amelia Court House, Va. This monosite contained 

 25.82 phosphoric acid, 4.22 oxide of thorium, and 69.65 of oxides 

 of cerium, lanthanum, and didymium. The formula derived from 

 this differed from that obtained for North Carolina monosite, and 

 the speaker suggested the possibility of the existence in it of an 

 undetermined metal of the cerium group. 



A discussion upon the cause of the timber line on high moun- 

 tains and of the treeless nature of prairies was carried on, Mr. Mee- 

 han stating his belief that water rather than fire was the cause of 

 forest destruction. Messrs. Leidy, Heilprin, Redfield, and Koe- 

 nig opposed this view. 



Dr. Horn spoke upon Platypsyllus,* small roach-like beetle pa- 

 rasitic upon Sea/ops, and made by Dr. Le Conte the type of a 



Feb. 7.— Professor Heilprin combated the opinion of Professor 

 Sterry Hunt relative to the replacement from the interstellar 

 space of carbonic acid abstracted from the air in the formation or 

 coal of limestone. The speaker held 'that the limestones of the 

 older geological formations were, like those of our days, formed 

 from those still older, while the amount of carbonic acid stored 

 up in the coal beds of the world would, if again mingled with^e 



Rvd<.- 



-lain of 



the ribs from cylindrical vacuolated tracts, and the segmentation 

 of the notochord in Gambit sia hatriuiis. . , cc 



Dr. Leidv exhibited S p ■cim«»ns of worms from the black bass. 

 They were bright red, 3 to 6 inches long, and lived coiled up^ 

 the muscles and other tissues of the fish. The worm is prooau y 



