Geological Society and A. A. A. S. Jfeefiiu/s. — Uphcun. 245 
which the action may be seen to take place in any fluid which is charged 
with carbonic acid. The discussion of the temporary springs termed in 
the paper earthquake fountains, or shock fountains, was directed to 
show that in these colums of ejection the law of ascent of the gases is 
essentially the same as that observable where gases pass upwards in 
fluids, a weak line being made by the formation of a bubble which in 
rising induces the formation of other bubbles by diminishing the pres- 
sure along the line of its ascent. 
Some attention was given to springs formed in the alluvial mud of 
delta deposits; and it was shown that these springs have had their paths 
of escape determined by the gases which impel the waters upward. This 
was noted as particularly plain in the case of the "mud lump" springs 
of deltas. 
The main point of the paper was that volcanic outbreaks, being essen- 
tially vapor outbreaks, can he placed in the series with the other groups 
of gas ejections. Observations on an eruption of Vesuvius in 1882 were 
used to show that the exploding vapors escaped in the form of large 
bubbles which were segregated from the lava. Reference was also made 
to the probable influence of this action in the formation of the "chim- 
neys" of ore-bearing veins. 
American Association for the Advance3ient of Science. 
The American Association for the Advancement of Science 
also met in Springtield, Mass., holding its fort_y-fourth meet- 
ing from Wednesday, August 28th, to the following Wednes- 
day, September 4th, under the presidency of Prof. E. W. Mor- 
ley, of Cleveland, Ohio. The retiring president, Dr. Daniel 
G. Brinton, was unexpectedly detained in Europe; but his 
address, "The Aims of Anthropology," was read before a large 
audience on Thursday evening. 
The next evening a public lecture, complimentary to the 
citizens of Springfield, was given by Prof. William M. Davis, 
entitled "Geographic Development of the Connecticut Valley," 
with lantern illustrations. Three chief features or stages of 
the growth of the New England highlands and this valley 
were noted : first, the old mountain ranges worn down; sec- 
ond, the "monadnf)cks" left, as remnants of the former moun- 
tain masses, not wholly worn away; thirtl, the slowly uplifted 
highlands and the streams cutting through them. Narrow 
portions of the valley occur where tlu' material cut down by 
the stream is hard, as the trap ridges in some places adjoining 
the Connecticut river ; while elsewhere the valley is broad, 
because the rocks are soft and worn away easily, as the Tri- 
assic sandstone. Views similar to those along the Connecti- 
