1903.] 
NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 
811 
of the Section, and was its able Director from the beginning. Dr. 
Charles Schaeffer died November 23, 1903. He likewise was one of 
the early zealous members of the Section, and had been its skillful and 
diligent Recorder for about fifteen years. 
Notwithstanding these severely crippling losses, the Section has kept 
up its meetings and field excursions with almost undiminished ardor. 
There have been nine meetings, with an average attendance of eight, 
and nine field excursions, with an average attendance of twenty-nine. 
At the meetings communications were made by Miss Emma Walter, on 
the Florissant (Col.) region; by Dr. Florence Bascorn, on the geology 
of the neighborhood of Philadelphia; by Prof. Oscar C. S. Carter, on 
the old copper mines near the Perkiomen and on the climate of Mani- 
toba; by Mr. S. Harbert Hamilton, on the geology of eastern Cuba, 
and on petroleum; by Mr. Lyman, on jade; by Mr. F. J. Keeley, 
on crystal fluid inclusions containing solids with Brownian move- 
ment, and on fossil bones and shells from a cave in the Cambrian 
limestone of Durham Furnace ; by Messrs. Carter, Hamilton and Lyman, 
on the trap ; besides a number of shorter communications. The field 
excursions visited: 1. The Cambrian, New Red and ancient gneiss 
rocks near Edge Hill and northeastward to the Pennypaclc; 2. Certain 
crystalline rocks near Westchester and eastward to Darby creek; 
3. Crystalline rocks, schists and Cambrian near Pennypack creek; 
4. The New Red and crystalline rocks of Buck Ridge proper and south- 
ward through the Neshaminy Gap; 5. Crystalline rocks near the Ne- 
shaminy from the Gap to Flushing; 6. The New Red section along the 
canal from New Hope to Point Pleasant; 7. The crystalline rocks and 
Cambrian sandstone of a cross-section of Buck Ridge near the Buck 
Hotel; 8. The New Red and trap near Pottstown; 9. The crystalline 
rocks with numerous minerals between Media, Mineral Hill, Blue Hill 
and Newtown Square. Some mineral specimens were obtained for 
the Academy’s collection. 
The interest shown in the meetings and in the field excursions seems 
amply to justify the encouragement given the Section by the Academy. 
Aside from the value of any original work done for the direct 
increase of the world’s science, it is unquestionably useful to promote 
by these gatherings and discussions the love of the natural sciences. 
It is out of a large body of comparatively inconspicuous lovers of the 
natural sciences that issue, from time to time, the necessarily small, 
select percentage of devoted and able workers in that field, and also 
the generous benefactors of the Academy and kindred institutions. 
In addition, there is room for a feeling of satisfaction that something 
