Personal and Scwntific News. . 129 
coverer and contributor to science. He furnished Geo. J. Brush, J. 
Lawrence Smith, C. U. Shepard, F. A. Genth, J. P. Cooke, J. D. 
Dana, F. W. Clarke and many other investigators with material, 
as the files of original letters which go to Pittsbtirgh with the col- 
lection abundantly testify. 
Aquacreptite (Shepard), euphyllite (Silliman jr), jeffersite 
(Brush), emerald nickel (zaratite), melanosiderite (Cooke), roseite 
(Jefferis), painterite (Jefferis), were discovered by Mr. .Jefferis. In 
addition to new minerals Mr. Jefferis aided largely in extending the 
known distribution of minerals and in furnishing material for the 
re-examination of old and poorly known ones. Dana drew largely 
from Mr. Jefferis notes and specimens, some of which were figured 
in his "System of Mineralogy." Genth's "Mineralogy of Pennsyl- 
vania" is greatly indebted to Mr. Jefferis labors in the field. 
Dr, Rufus ]\L Bagg, Jr. is in Mexico examining sever- 
al mining properties. His i)ermanent address is West 
Springfield, Mass. 
The Seventeenth Meeting of the Geological Society 
OF America was held at Philadelphia, December 29, 30 
and 31. The president, Dr. J. C. Branner, presided and gave 
his retiring address, the subject of which was "Geological 
and Geographical Studies on the northeast coast of Brazil." 
Sixty-one titles were listed on the program. The reports 
of the officers showed that the society is in a flourishing 
condition. A total of sixty-eight fellows have been enrolled 
for life by the payment of the one hundred dollar commtita- 
tion fee. The present membership is 259. ^demorials 
were read of deceased fellows as follows : 
C. E. Beecher, by Chas. Schuchert. 
J. P. Hatcher, by W. B. Scott. 
Henrv McCallev, by Eugene Smith. 
A\^ H. Pettee, by L C. Russell. 
Charles Schaeffer, by Angelo Heilprin. 
The president-elect is Prof. R. Pumpelly. 
Moraines of Seneca and Caydga Lakes — During the 
recession of the Wisconsin ice sheet a stand was made near 
the heads of the two lake valleys — Cayuga and Seneca. This 
major ice stand consisted of a series of minor halts in the 
receding ice which projected lobes up the two lake valleys, 
and minor lobes into the side valleys. By reason of the 
Irregularity of topography and the several minor halts, a 
complex series of moraines was accumulated, both as lateral 
and terminal deposits, the latter being developed with es- 
pecial intensity in the two major valleys south of the heads 
of the lakes. — J^. S. Tarr. 
The Great Flat at Butte is shown to be an old valley 
leveled by the wash of torrents, and the peculiar mountain 
basin known as Elk Park, which now drains into the At- 
lantic, is shown to be the headwater portion of a valley 
