JAN. 1C07. 
PROCEEDINGS. 
3 
Mr. Teller then exhibited some specimens of the fossil fish- 
spine, Phlucta itacauthus telleri Eastman. He called attention to the way 
in which the two spines fitted together and toi the beautiful way in 
which the structure was preserved. ^Ir. Colles asked if any of the 
orig-inal organic matter was still present in such specimens, and 
Mr. Teller seemed inclined to believe that there was still some of it 
present. AEr. Colles thought it extremely doubtful, and believed that 
the original organic molecules were gone in their entirety to be re- 
placed by those of inorganic origin. ]SIr. Brues mentioned a. section of 
muscle taken from a fossil shark which he had seen, that when micros- 
copically examined could scarcely be distinguished from poor sections 
which he had seen prepared in the laboratory by students unfamiliar 
with histological methods. He also said that org^anic matter and quite 
probably organic pigments and chitin were frequently preserved as 
fossils, citing a number of fossil Hymenoptera from the Tertiary rocks 
of Colorado. Here browns, pale colors and blacks are often distinctly 
ditferentiated and even the metallic blue characteristic of some species. 
lSh\ Colles doubted the presence of the easily disintegrated chitin or 
organic pigments as such, but agreed that carbon at least must be 
present, but probably uncombined, and believed that the colors were 
due to some secondary cause. 
After some .discussion of a more general nature the meeting ad- 
journed with the hope expressed that a special program might be 
prepared for the next section meeting. 
November 22, 1906. 
Regular meeting of the Society. 
President Teller in the chair and 40 persons present. 
Dr. E. C. Case lectured on the "Geological Development of Scenery," 
illustrated b\' stereopticon slides. Dr. Case described the several suc- 
cessive stages in erosion by rivers, aided hy diagrams and photographs 
of natural scenery. Weathering and chemical disintegration as factors 
were also considered. 
The general discussion was followed by a more detailed considera- 
tion of each individual factor, a series of slides illustrating their action 
and the various forces that may modify them. 
The meeting then adjourned. 
