May 30, 1884.] 
SCIENCE. 
665 
INTELLIGENCH FROM AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC STATIONS. 
GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS. 
Geological survey, 
Work in California. — During March, rainy weather 
interfered very much with the field-work in the 
division of the Pacific. 
region, however, was completed by Mr. Becker, who 
made two cross-sections of the area mapped,. and 
finished his notes of the surface-geology. 
Four sections were made of the Redington quick- 
silver-mine, and notes of others also taken. The 
first half of April was very stormy, rendering a camp- 
ing-trip inexpedient. On the Ist of the month, 
however, Mr. Turner proceeded to Tres Pinos, to 
make observations on the granite reported to be in 
that neighborhood by Antisell and others. Between 
the first and the middle of the month, Mr. Turner 
occupied the intervals between the storms in making 
a reconnoissance of the region adjacent to Tres Pinos. 
About the middle of April, Mr. Becker and a party, 
including Mr. Turner, proceeded from Tres Pinos to 
New Idria, making excursions on both sides of their 
route, and reaching New Idria the latter part of the 
month. Mr. Becker hopes to complete the New 
Idvia district during May. He reports that the gran- 
ite between San Francisco and New Idria, of which 
there is a considerable amount, is, so far as he has 
seen it, of one character, and does not differ from 
that of which the Farallone Islands are composed. 
It presents lithologically no evidence of recent origin, 
but has all the appearance of ancient granite. He 
reports, also, the existence of large areas of basalt at 
no great distance from Tres Pinos, and an impor- 
tant area of the same rock immediately south-west 
of Panoche valley. He says, also, that the most cur- 
sory study of the pebbles of the recent stream-beds, 
and the extensive gravel-deposits of the area passed 
through, renders it evident that there are other im- 
portant areas of basalt. The same sources of infor- 
mation also prove that andesite eruptions must have 
taken place abundantly, although in his hasty trips 
he did not come across the rock in situ. He thinks 
that a thorough examination of the coast-ranges 
north of New Idria would show a considerable area 
of andesite. The sedimentary deposits noted were of 
three classes: 1°, highly metamorphosed and some- 
times contorted beds, similar to those of the Clear 
Lake and Knoxville districts; 2°, lying unconform- 
ably upon the latter, considerably tilted, very slightly 
contorted, unaltered beds, mainly sandstones, ex- 
ceedingly fossiliferous in places, and corresponding 
to Whitney’s miocene; 3°, resting unconformably 
on these, again, uncompacted conglomerates, very 
slightly tilted, and, so far as examined, without fos- 
sils. 
In the laboratory at San Francisco, Dr. Melville 
has been engaged in routine analyses. 
Mr. Curtis has been in Washington for some time, 
revising proof of his monograph (No. 7) on the silver- 
bearing lead-deposits of Eureka, Nev., which is in 
press. 
The study of the Knoxville | 
Mr. Hoffmann finished the corrections and addi- 
tions to the topographic work at Clear Lake in April, 
and early in May reported at Washington, where he 
will map the work done by him in 1882 in northern 
California. 
Miscellaneous. — Nearly all the rocks collected by 
Mr. J. S. Diller in the Cascade Range, in northern 
California, have now been identified; and the label- 
ling and cataloguing of the collection, so far as thin 
sections of the rocks have been prepared, have been 
completed. The hypersthene andesites are found to 
be the most abundant. Members, also, of a new 
group of rocks have been found, which promise to 
be of especial interest. —— Mr. Vanhise, assistant to 
Prof. R. D. Irving, made, in March, seventy-two new 
thin sections of rocks; and descriptions were prepared 
of forty of that number. In April, Mr. Newman, at 
Washington, prepared eighty sections for Professor 
Irving, and also of a few rocks from the Cascade 
Range. —— Through the kindness of the superintend- 
ent of the Naval observatory, Capt. C. E. Dutton has 
begun a study of the moon’s surface in connection 
with the study of the volcanic features on the earth. 
Mr. Diller has prepared about a dozen sections 
of fulgurite and its fusion-products, and is making a 
special study of them, with results of exceeding in- 
terest. 
Engineers’ school of application, Willets Point, N.Y. 
Aurora borealis. — The regular series of records of 
the displays of the aurora borealis, begun in 1870, 
has been continued as heretofore. Three sentinel- 
posts, widely separated from each other, are guarded 
nightly by soldiers of the Battalion of engineers, spe- 
cially selected as watchmen. Eight men are thus 
permanently detailed. Three of them remain on 
duty from sunset to sunrise, and are required to re- 
port, when relieved, whether they have seen any 
auroral light during the night, and, if not, whether 
the sky has been sufficiently clear to permit any to 
be visible. These records for the past year are pre- 
sented in the following consolidated table, which, 
AURORAL DISPLAYS IN 1888. 
Auroras. Clear nights. | Cloudy nights. 
Name ets ri loi [od ri loi | od | 
of Oy|ron no Slo |S S| o]o 
yA A, PN ee aml ere ae |e 
month. | =| S = eS |) = 
BS S/5| § |2/2/3) 8 18/8\3) & 
Gee) Ss |e |e] a lala = 
January . 0 | 0 | 0} 0.0 | 11} 8] 11} 10.0) 20) 23] 20 21.0 
February Dimon a2 (tees Se | 16/15 elo) bes | false aa 
March ANA 2) || ©3838 || 22] 231-21) 22.0 9" S10) 920 
April . 38} 3] 2] 2.7 | 16 15) 15} 15.8) 14] 15) 15 14.7 
May 0 0; 1] 0.3 | 17; 16) 17) 16.7) 14) 15) 14 14.8 
June . 1/ 1/1] 1.0 | 16) 17) 18} 17.0) 14) 13} 12, 18.0 
Oth, oc OO Onlocde| aa 22a Oe) 9 9) TO; “O23 
August, . . US FZ) eS) 926) 26|" 27) 2603)" 6) of 4 ART 
September . 4 3] 3] 3.3 | 15} 16) 17) 16.0} 15) 14; 138 14.0 
October . Aeon) Au 2e3) | 20) 18) 17) 18.3) 11) 1s) 1 sak 
November . 2/2) 2] 2.0 | 17) 19} 20) 18.7] 138) 11) 10 11.3 
December . 0; 1/0] 0.3 | 19} 17) 17) 17.7] 12) 14) 14 13.3 
Total for year. |24 27 |22 | 24.1 |217/212/216/ 215.0 ala 149 150.0 
