General Meeting.] J() [Dec. 21. 
Cove tlie work w;is even more extensive ; the excavations here 
commonly have an oval foiin, with a longel* axis, sometimes over 
a hundred feet in k'ugth, and they extend almost continuously 
alono- the crest of a high ridge, changing the shape of the crest 
from a rounded back to a trough for a distance of over a mile. 
'I'hese old excavations have long been known to Americans, and 
several theories have been proposed to account for their existence. 
United States Geologist, G. W. Featherstonhaugh, in 1834 visited 
the pits near Hot Sjjrings, noted the hammers round about, and 
pronounced the pits Indian quarries. At some later date the idea 
grew among the peoi)le of this part of Arkansas that these hol- 
lows were old Spanish mines ; based upon this idea, many mines 
have been started in th.e area with the hope of finding gold or 
silver. A recent geologist after a very hasty examination thought 
the pits represented the bowls of former hot springs. We may 
now feel sure, however, of the Indian origin of these pits, since a 
careful examination by Mr. W. H. Hohiies, of the Bureau of 
Etluiology, shows that all the evidence supports this idea. 
Prof. lioland Thaxter gave an account of the Myxo1>acteriaceae, 
a new order of Schizoinycetes. See The botanical gazette, Dec. 
1S!)2, V. 17, p. 389-406, pi. 22-2.5; Jan. 18;)3, v. 18, ]». 29-30. 
General Meetin(;, BECEMiiER 21, 1892. 
President W . II. Niles in the chair. Fifty-five ])ersons 
present. 
The President announce<l the death of Sir Richard Owen, 
an Honorary Member of the Society since August 21, 1839, 
and of Prof. John Strong Newberry, a Corresponding Member 
since September 3, 1856. 
It was announced that the following Corporate Members had 
been elected by the Council : Messrs. John Adams, E. C. Fitz, 
N. S. French, W. D. Grier, Miss H. A. Hill, Miss L. F. Peirce, 
Mrs. M. E. L. Saville, Messrs. T. W. Vaughan and Erving 
Win slow. 
Mr. W. F. Ganong gave a detailed account of some new 
experiments upon the absorption of liquids by aerial parts of 
))lants ; the conclusion reached was that ordinary plants when 
uninjured probably do not absorb any water through aerial parts, 
certainly not enough to be of any use to them. 
