Editorial Comment. 243 
science and its successful propagation is likeh* to be successful 
in proportion as its study is prosecuted in the field. Possibly 
short excursions in the neighborhood of the place of meeting, 
preceded and accompanied with careful description and explana- 
tion, may form in time a regular part of the program both of the 
Geological Society and of the Section. Such excursions would be 
specially adapted to interest the younger members and to bring 
them into active work. 
Be this as it may, however, the excursions were interesting and 
profitable parts of the Rochester meeting. One afternoon a party 
with Mr. G. K. Gilbert, a native of Rochester, as guide, went to 
the Pinnacle hills, about two miles from the city, and examined 
their structure as it was shown in a large gravel pit. Here could 
be seen stratified sand overlain by gravel and shingle — true 
northern drift — and this again by till laden with large and small 
stones, many of them smooth and striated. Great irregularity 
was seen in one place where the bedded material had been dis- 
turbed apparently soon after its deposition. Several slight faults 
with small downthrow to the northeast were visible at various 
points and at the northeast end all signs of stratification ceased 
and the hill consisted of a confused mass of gravel and sand 
overlain by till. Numerous large and unworn blocks of Niagara 
limestone were scattered through the hill and had been brought 
from the outcrop of the same stone at a much lower level a few 
miles off. 
The visit formed the topic of an interesting discussion next 
morning, though some objection was raised by a few to this in- 
terruption of the program. Probably the objection can in future 
be obviated in such a case without causing difficulty. 
Another excursion was made to the quarries in the western. part 
of the city under the leadership of Prof. Arey of the high school, 
who has apparently collected more Niagara fossils from the region 
than any one else in the city who took part in the meeting. These 
quarries cover man}^ acres of ground and the stone has been ex- 
cavated to the depth of twenty feet or more. The Niagara is here 
a dark grey limestone yielding few fossils among which Stroma- 
topora concentrica is by far the most abundant. All are in a bad 
state of preservation, existing as casts alone. The characteristic 
minerals were found in plenty or bought from the boys; such as 
dolomite, selenite and other forms of gypsum, blende, etc. 
