Personal and Scientific Nezvs. 73 
He noted particularly in the vicinity of New York city the pre- Cam- 
brian Fordham gneiss, overlain at certain places, as at Lowerre, Hast- 
ings, Sparta and Peekskill by a very thin bed of quartzite, probably 
representing the Georgian quartzite of Dutchess county. Above this 
is a thick series of crystalline limestones, forming the valleys of the 
Harlem, Bronx and other rivers, and underlying most of the navigable 
waterways in the vicinity of New York. The upper rocks are mica- 
schists which are probably of Hudson Ri\er age, and make most of the 
highlands of New York city and vicinity. These rocks are extensively 
folded in a general direction of N. 40 E., with occasional cross foldings, 
producing the cross valleys. The whole series is crossed by the Man- 
hattanville fault, running from Manhattanville, North river, southeast- 
wards to the East river, between Ward's and Blackvvell's islands, into 
Astoria bay. This fault, along which there has been a throw of a num- 
ber of hundred feet, was long ago described by Prof. Dana. 
The second paper of the evening was by captain J. J. 
Riley, entitled, "The Guano Deposits of the Islands in the 
Southern Pacific, and Their Prehistoric Remains." 
Dr. Riley considered in detail the depth, value and manner of work- 
ing of the guano deposits in the Chincha islands, off the southern coast 
of Peru, from which guano was first taken by Humboldt in 1804, and 
which have since become very famous. Between 1850 and 1880, it is 
estimated that guano to the value of 550 million dollars in gold was 
taken from three islands alone. The islands lie in the rainless region, 
and the preservation of the guano is due to the absence of water. Once 
in about seven years there is a season of quite a little rainfall, which 
has undoubtedly a great effect upon the guano, and was considered by 
Capt. Riley to be the cause of the blacker bands in the layered 
deposits. Two burial tombs containing bodies of great antiquity have 
been discovered in the guano; the bodies were evidently of royal per- 
sonages, and apparently, from the evidences of slabs containing certain 
symbols, related to the Incas. These tombs were found at a depth of 35 
and 68 feet; but it is not possible to state whether they were buried .in 
the guano, or later covered by it. The islands, three in number, are 
granitic in character, and were covered by a varying thickness of guano, 
reaching in the more important island a depth of 203 feet in places. 
The exportation of guano has, however, ceased since 1880. 
In the discussion, Dr. Julien compared these islands with 
other guano-bearing islands of the West Indies, paying par- 
ticular attention to the absence of any evidences of human 
remains showing life coincident with the formation of the 
guano. 
The third paper, read by title, was by Mr. Stuart Wcller, 
and entitled, "A New Crinoid in the Coal Measures of Kan- 
sas." Richard E. Dodge Secretary. 
A NEW METEORITE. Early in 1897 two pieces of meteoric 
iron, weighing sixty-two and fifty-one pounds respectively, 
were found three miles northwest of Mungindi postoflice. New 
South Wales, but really in Queensland territory. This me- 
teorite, which is called the Mungindi meteorite (G. W. Card; 
Geol. Sur. N. S. Wales, Records, vol. 5. pt. 3, Sept. 1897). 
apparently fell some time ago as in places weathering has 
brought out naturally etched Widmanstatten figures. These 
