260 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IV., No. 84. 



iferous. Mr. Topley of the English survey then 

 spoke of the general acceptance, by the various Euro- 

 pean surveys, of the theory of the change of sedi- 

 mentary to crystalline rocks ; and here the discussion 

 of the. archean rocks ended. 



Members of the English survey exhibited maps col- 

 ored so as to represent the solid geology; and others, 

 of the same places showing the geology as it is actu- 

 ally seen upon the surface, that is, including the 

 drift. This latter was regarded as valuable in con- 

 nection with questions of water supply. Doubt was 

 expressed, however, about the value of such surface 

 maps save for local and temporary purposes, and it 

 was suggested that some method be devised by which 

 it would be possible to represent both solid and sur- 

 face geology upon the same sheet. 



The plan of Mr. Gilbert, of the U. S. geological 

 survey, for a subject bibliography of North American 

 geology, elicited some discussion. The section evi- 

 dently felt a deeper interest in this paper than it was 

 ready to express on so short a notice. 



A brief account of his work upon the Jurassic 

 mammals of America was given by Professor Marsh. 

 Six years ago no Jurassic mammal was known; but 

 five years ago they were found in Wyoming, and from 

 one pocket alone from three to four hundred individ- 

 uals have been taken, representing eight genera and 

 twenty species. 



Sir William Dawson spoke at some length upon the 

 ancient land flora of the old and new world, calling 

 attention to the striking correspondence found in 

 countries widely separated. 



Two paleontological papers by Mr. G-. F. Mathews 

 were spoken of in high terms, especially by the Cana- 

 dian geologists; and the hope was expressed, that if, 

 as had been suggested, one of the Canadian papers 

 should be published in full by the association, the 

 one upon the primitive Conocoryphean should be 

 selected. 



A paper by Prof. J. Milne, upon the earthquake 

 phenomena in Japan, referred to the mechanical diffi- 

 culties to be dealt with in his observations, and de- 

 scribed a new earthquake house he has built upon 

 large balls resting upon iron plates. Three hundred 

 and eighty-seven earthquakes had been observed by 

 him, eighty-seven per cent of which came from the 

 sea. 



Sir William Dawson then went over the leading 

 facts worked out by Dr. Hall in his forthcoming 

 geology of Palestine. 



The last paper presented was by Mr. P. Hallett, 

 and consisted of notes on Niagara Falls. For Ameri- 

 can geologists they contained nothing new. 



It will be seen that nothing striking or new was 

 presented to the section; indeed, some of the pro- 

 ductions have been served up already a number of 

 times and in various forms. But any thing different 

 was hardly to be expected. The meeting was re- 

 markable for bringing together workers in geology 

 from every quarter of the globe. From Japan was 

 Lyman, and a paper was read from Milne; from India 

 were Blanford and Ball; from Australia were Blan- 

 ford and Selwyn ; from Africa was T. Rupert Jones ; 



from Palestine was Professor Bauerman, and a paper 

 was read from Hull; from Brazil was Branner; from 

 England, Scotland, and Ireland, were the various 

 members from those countries; from the States were 

 Hall, Newberry, Marsh, Powell, and many others; 

 while the Canadian workers were represented by 

 Dawson, Selwyn, Whiteaves, and Adams. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECTION OF 

 BIOLOGY. 



Ly opening the biological section Thursday, Aug. 

 28, the president of that section, Prof. H. N. Moseley, 

 delivered an address upon the physiology of deep-sea 

 life. Well fitted as Professor Moseley is to discuss 

 the subject of deep-sea life, on account of his long 

 participation in its investigation during the voyage 

 of the Challenger, his address was not only a criti- 

 cal and discriminating review of some of the later 

 results arrived at by other observers and experiment- 

 ers, but was supplemented by many valuable state- 

 ments and suggestions of his own. 



Mr. C. Spence Bate, of Plymouth, Eng., read a 

 paper on the geographical distribution of the macru- 

 rous Crustacea, which embodied many important 

 notes on form, color, habits, and habitats of different 

 genera of these animals. In allusion to points men- 

 tioned by Mr. Bate, Professor Moseley said that 

 deep-sea forms either had very large eyes or had no 

 eyes, and that there must be a source of light in the 

 deep sea; that source was phosphorescence, but its 

 light must be very dim. The question was still un- 

 answered, whether the larvae of deep-sea Crustacea 

 were found at the surface, as are the larvae of other 

 crustaceans, and had to descend two or three miles 

 through the ocean to reach their feeding grounds as 

 adults. 



Prof. W. J. Sollas, of Dublin, read a long paper 

 on the origin of fresh-water faunas. The main diffi- 

 culties in the way of most marine animals becoming 

 inhabitants of fresh water were considered under 

 three different heads : first, the time requisite for the 

 animals to adapt themselves to the new medium; 

 second, the greater severity of climate experienced 

 by animals in fresh water than in salt water; and, 

 third, the inability of marine animals with free- 

 swimming larval stages to enter the mouths of fresh- 

 water streams, or to breed in flowing streams if 

 they gained access to them. In regard to climate, 

 it is a fact that many marine forms become fresh- 

 water ones as we approach the tropics. But severity 

 of the climate of fresh water is not alone sufficient 

 to account for the absence from it of many families 

 well represented in marine faunas. Professor Sollas 

 had prepared an extensive table, comparing by orders 

 and by families the animals of fresh with those of 

 salt water, and finds as a rule, with some exceptions, 

 which he accounts for by peculiarities of life-history, 

 that fresh- water animals carry their ova in or about 

 them during the earlier stages of development, or 

 they develop by buds or statoblasts. Some marine 

 forms have passed from the ocean into marshes, and 



