332 The American Geologist. November, looi 
by soundings ; and with regard to the physiography one cannot say to 
what extent the bottom of the valley has been filled by drift, but the 
islands to which physiographic importance has been given by the 
speaker are rock. Richard E. Dodge, 
Secretary pro tern. 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
ViiOh-. W. O. CRosr.Y of the Institute of Technology, 
r>oston, spent the summer in Arizona in the examination of 
certain mines. 
Professor J. B. Hatcher, in camp near Can3^oii City, Col- 
orado, has discovered the remains of another fossil animal in 
the famous bone beds of that section. 
Professor W. B. Scott, of Princeton University, is still 
in South America working on the Patagonian reports. When 
last heard from he was at Btienos Ayres, examining specimens 
in the Museum of that place.— Science. 
George B. Simpson who has been connected with the 
New York state department of paleontology since 1868 and 
thousands of whose beautiful drawings of paleozoic fossils 
have been reproduced in the publications of that department, 
died Oct. 15, at Albany. 
Movements in the Rockies. "The mountains are con- 
stantly moving," was the remark of an officer of the Denver 
& Rio Grande Road recently in speaking of the great land- 
slides in the canyon above Glenwood Springs, Colo. "VVc 
find from actual experience in maintaining tunnels, bridges 
and tracks in the mountains that the mountains are moving. 
It costs a railway passing through the mountains a great 
deal of money in the course of ten years to keep the tracks :n 
lime, and inaintenance of tunnels is even more exj^ensive. 
Drive a stake on the side of a mountain, take the location 
with the greatest care, and return after a few months. The 
stake is not in the same location. The whole side of the 
mountain has moved. This experiment has often been tried 
and in all cases the result proves that the mountains are mov- 
ing. The mountains are gradually seeking the level of the 
sea." 
While we do not agree with the last assertion that "the 
mountains are seeking sea level," there appears no question 
bttt that local movements are in progress in the Rockies and 
the observation of the railroad surveyor is confirmed by 
those experienced in some of the mjnes. In (|uite a number 
of mines located on fissure veins or between highly tilted 
strata, or in the vicinity of great faults, movements have 
