196 The American Geologist. September, 1900 
According to Prof. A. A. Julien, who read a paper 
on the genesis of pegmatyte in North Carolina, pegmatyte 
is probably not due to intrusion as dikes, nor to infiltration 
as veins, nor yet to segregation; it is rather to be considered 
as an aggregate of the very schist material which encloses 
it, softened to a plastic condition by thermal or superheated 
waters and afterwards consolidated with the concretionary 
structures which it now presents. 
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. 
The work in geology for the present summer is distributed 
as follows: Dr. E. R. Buckley is engaged in economic geol- 
ogy, primarily on the clays ot the state. He is assisted by 
Mr. J. L. Nelson on the marls and by Mr. S. B. Peppel, 
chemist to the survey, on analyses of the clays. Dr. Sam- 
uel Weidman is studying the pre-Cambrian rocks .of central 
Wisconsin. Prof. D. P. Nicholson is preparing a report on 
the physiography of Vilas and Oneida counties. Prof. U. 
S. Grant, assisted by H. M. Adkinson and H. F. Little, is at 
work on the copper-bearing rocks in the northern part of 
the state. Prof. N. M. Fenneman is investigating the lakes 
of southern Wisconsin. 
The Paleontological Collection of the late Dr. 
Alexander Winchell was recently purchased for the Hood 
Museum of Natural History, of Alma College, Michigan. 
This was done mainly through the instrumentality of state 
geologist Lane who was desirous to hold the collection in 
the state of Michigan with the view to make it ultimately 
useful in the furtherance of the paleontology of the Michi- 
gan survey, The collection has had much work put upon 
it, and, with the drawings of fossil types which are em- 
braced in it, and the descriptions published several years 
ago b)' the Philadelphia Academy of Natural History, it 
carries with it the keys to the most important part of the 
paleontological work of Dr. Winchell. 
The Billings Memorial committee of the Ottawa 
Field Naturalists' Club is proceeding effectively toward the 
accomplishment of its purpose. This is to procure some 
permanent testimonial to the late Mr. E. Billings who was 
long associated with the Canadian Geological survey as pa- 
leontologist, and who as a pioneer did for Canada much of 
the same service that James Hall did for United States pa- 
leontology. Had Mr. Billings lived as long his name would 
have equally adorned the paleontology of America. A fund 
is being raised for a portrait to be placed in the Museum of 
the Geological Survey at Ottawa, and perhaps a memorial 
tablet on some prominent Canadian rock bluff whose fossils 
he described. Subscriptions to this fund can be sent to Mr. 
B. E. Walker, Toronto, or Dr. H. M. Ami, Ottawa. 
