Philadelphia Meeting of Geological Society. — Upham. 95 
The lower important bed on Coal canon is the Cook White, which is 
not mined at present. It shows the same changes, being distinctly an 
thracite at the old openings up the canon, but becoming bituminous 
lower down, where it contains 30 percent, of volatile. 
A small bed, midway between the White Ash and the Cook-White, 
shows no variation, being bituminous at the most southerly point visited, 
although the White Ash is anthracite in the same locality, lint this 
bed is much cut by clay scams and is not continuous. 
The cause of the metamorphosis of the coal is contact with eruptive 
rocks. The clay seams of the smaller lied prevented transmission of the 
heat and changes in the coal. Actual contact with the molten rock ap 
pears necessary to produce change, for the upper sheel of trachyte comes 
down to within a few feet of the White Ash ami evidently has no affect 
upon its composition : the transition from bituminous to anthracite in 
that coal bed is regular from the north southward under the sheet and 
apparently in no greater ratio than in the Cook-White, L50 feel lowei-, 
which in turn is fully 20(1 feet above the lower sheet. 
The Relations of Geologic Science i<> Education. N. S. Shaler. 
(Presidential address.) In teaching geology it is necessary that a large 
part of the instruction shall be given in the class room; but a real, liv- 
ing interest in the science can only be gained by actual work in the 
field. The true way to learn geology is by reading the book of nature 
in the open air. with supplementary museum study and practice in the 
laboratory. [This address will be published in an early number of 
Science. \ 
Note on the outline of Cape ('nil. W. M. Davis, Cambridge, Mass. 
Observations made during an excursion with the Harvard summer 
class in physical geography last July, supplemented by a study of the 
Coast Survey charts, lead to an interpretation of the changes suffered 
by ( 'ape Cod which differs in certain respects from that offered by Whit 
ing (Coast Survey Report. 1867) and by Weule (Zeitschrift fur wiss. Ge 
ographie, 1891). Provincetown, the sandy northern part of the cape, 
long recognized as an addition by current, wave, ami wind, to the high 
■•mainland'" of the cape in Truro and farther south, is regarded as 
growing by additions on the northeastern or outer side: the accretion 
here being correlated with the rapid retreat of the cliff along the eastern 
side of the •'mainland." and a fulcrum of no or small motion being 
located near Highland Light. Race point, the extremity of the Prov 
incetown area, manifests its external addition to the rest of the sandy 
area by enclosing a lagoon that narrows eastward. 
At present, still another bar is growing along the outer side of the 
Race | >< 'in 1 bar. As a consequence of this, the sand is not now washed 
southward around Race point so plentifully as before this unfinished 
external bar was begun: and t he south ward reaching bar or book thai 
curves around to Long point and encloses Provincetown harbor is not 
so well supplied with sand as formerly. The present washing of the 
latter bar. north of Wood End, is ascribed to this lack of supply, rather 
