180 'Jlie American Geoloyist. F(t)riiar.v, 1895 
;iiiv pcrfcpl il)li' (lip. 'I'licrc is iiol liiiii;- lo sliow lh;il Ihc stratji liavi' 
ever been tilted or distorted in ;iiiy way. 'I'liey sccin in lie jusl as lliey 
wei'<> deposited. The iiil'ereiict' is tiial llicri' musl ]ia\i' Ikmmi erosion 
preceding' tlieir deposil ion. 11 would also indicate ilial lln' I'Mint \ alley 
and tile main I'avine must lia\e already had an exislenei'. It se((m.s 
like presumption lo (ry to plaee the oi-ii^'in of the drainage system at so 
early adate as the middle of the l'p[)ci- Hurlington e|.ocli. hut the e\ i- 
denei' points too strongly to ignoie it. 1 calletl attention to this lact in 
my pr('vit)us article on this subject. .\s determined i>y fossils, this I'ock 
lie.s but a few feet above the bed at the Cascade (piarries which fur- 
nished sucli conclusive e\idence of erosion. 'I'ln- two lociilit-ies are 
only about miles apart and it seems (piilc ceitain that the time of 
erosion was the same for bolli. l"'n.\N(is M. Fii/rz. 
Biirliiujton. loini. 
Voi-cANic ASH ISKI) Ni':.vi! Omaiia. 1 beliexe I have ne\er iiihu-med you 
of the discovery of a volcanic ash-stratum in the bliitfs of the Missouri 
7J mih's north of Omalia. It is IS indies thick, with clearly detined up- 
per anil lower limits, about 10 feet abo\e low water in Ihe river. It 
lies ill tlie lower clayey ))orlion of the loess, about (i feet ;ii)o\e its well 
marked base, where it rests on the horizoidal surface of drift gravel at 
least 20 feet in thickness, and, Judging from other exposures near liy. 
underlaid by till. The loe.ss rises 30-40 feet above the asii l,(.\er. and 
there is no sign of disturbance since the deposition of any of the forma- 
tions. 
Tlie aslies are more tinted with iron oxide than in other localities I 
iiaveseen, but Mr. J. S. Diller, of the United States (Jeologica! Survey, 
pronounces it clearly identical in character with that before submitted 
to him from Knox, Cumming and Seward counties of Nebraska. 1 have 
not. yet found tiie layer on the Iowa side of the i'i\ei\ though 1 have ex- 
amined several similar localities. 
I liope sometime to find time to work up some of these subjects into 
shai)e suitable for yniblication. .1. K. Tddd. 
Tiibor, Town, Mat/ tJ, 18'JO. 
PERSONAL AN D SCIE NTIFIC NEWS. 
Prof. \r. \V. Cloidou'ii has been appointed state geologist 
of Louisiana, at the same time holding the place of professor 
of geology and mineralog}' in the State l^niversity. He will 
condtiet the survey on the plan of Prof. Smith in Alabama. 
Pkofessou James Hall has keceivkd a medal and diploma 
of foreign membership from the •' Regia Lyncei Aeademia," 
of Rome, in recognition of his services to geologicjtl science. 
This Academy was instituted in the year 2t)l A. I), and is b}' 
far the oldest of existing learned associations. 
[Note. — The report of the Pleistocene papers of tlie Baltimoii- iiieetiiis. (■• S. A., is 
deferred till the March No.] 
