New-York tribune., 1873-12-13
AMERICAN SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.

n,.,. co,,.rx, or " ATRIAL HIsToRy-Nov ~.
MIR L. s Burbank read paper VI, '"o e9 oul."
feolory of North Carolina. in whcn ne oNp',''ou
fbe view that most of the powders Oh oui "o''nnn
Az, an NOT the results of glacial erosion, out OF
secompCslond d NJ S5,c,tend. s. ~ The Rev r G. Waters
sno n,bted prairie dog, and described It's BITS,
dc.
CIV, MSS: ESSEX INsTITUTE.-Regular meet
inc held Monday. Nov. Il, President Wheatland in
shc chair Mr.. Putnam presented by title paper
nv Nh. Robert Ridgway, in which several new forms
of North American birds were described. The paper
referred for publication in The Bulletin. After the
transaction of ordinary business the meeting ad-
Sourned 10 the large hall of the Institute when Prof
Proctor of London gave lecture on Planets, the
Institute having secured his services for three
evenings.
PIurApEIrHlA: ACADEMY or NATURAL SCIENCES
Nov. 25.-The President, DIR. Ruschenberger.
was in the Chair. DIR. II. G. Chapman called the
attention of the members to the disposition OF the
Flexor Perforans T. Longus Hallucis. and f. Aces
sorius in PGradOruus NusaRgd, Gray. DR.. Chapman
also made some remarks upon the principle of the
division of labor in the animal kingdom as affecting
evolution with special reference TO PI0f Copes
paper, read at the preceding meeting ON the types
Of molar teeth. DIR. LeConte and Prof. Cope spoke
or the same subject.
ST LOUIS: ACADEMY OF scIENcE-MEETrNG or
eral substance which had very generally been mis-
taken for white sand, but which gypsum in
granular form. 1t completely covers area of
about ten miles in the Mesla Valley, New-MeXico
and is perfectly sterile. He also showed that the
mean temperature for lsS in St Louis, had thus far
been much below the average during every month
except June and August Prof Riley read a paper
entitled Descriptions of the early stages OF oroc9gd
IApGri4rdl Lycd0n Fabr.) and ID. Herse ,Fabrl win
remarks on their synonymy" which presented many
hitherto n known regarding
Gies whose Larvae feed on blackberry.
PHILADELPHIA: ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES
MEETING OF Nov. 1S.--The following papers were
presented for publication in The Journal: On the
Fishes of Alaska by Edw. ID. Cope. On the Homol-
ogies and Origin of the Types of Molar Teeth Of
Mammaa Educabilia by Edw. ID. Cope. Mr. Cope,
in a verbal communication explained at length the
scope of the paper read by ttle the Molar Teeth
of Marnmalia Educaba. The types were consid-
cred to be four viz: The simple comic or truncate
(Haplodont, the sides Of the crown vertically pill
cate PtychodOnt the apex of the crown tubercn-
late (Bunodont). phcate Lophodontl. The sub
divisions of these types were described and Illus
traed by drawings and references TO CHARACTERISTIC
animals. Mr.. Cope also mentioned having observed
in the Rocky Mountain region circles OF stones ar
ranged by human hands IN localities not now lnHaD-
ited 10y Indians. One of these was nine miles from
the nearest water, which was OF indifferent quallty,
and being in region where game is very scarce,
Five or SIX miles from tins place was found hint
factory with numerous implements ana cores. Two
other circles were observed IN COlorauo' a1out IVO
miles east of Longs Peak and about five miles from
aspiring.
CHICAGO: AcADEMYloF ScIENCEs.-At the regular
meeting for October very little scientific business
was transacted. DIR. L. Andrews exhibited an appa-
rts for the illustration of his theory of the perodi-
cal geysers-one much larger than that exhibited on
former occasion. He also stated that from recent
observations he convinced that the oess deposit
extended as far inland St Charles, ILL., Nh. d. IL.
Babcock stated that he had found the plant Della
GIopecarOides sgrowDg at HiDsdale, III. The plant
was not indigenous here, but was so in the Rocky
Mountains. lie suggested that probably the seeds
of this and other species had been accidentally
brought by the railroad cars from their habitat.
Twenty PERSONS were reported as having subscribed
10 the Life Membership Fund $500 each.
At the meeting of Nov. H. after some routine busi-
ness, Ransom Dexter read paper on the Facial
Angle Of the Vertebrates. After referring 10 the
general characteristics Of vertebrate ANIMALS ne
said: The angle of the face is, think, simply and
properly the angle of intersection of two lines the
frt or base line, corresponding TO the axis OF the
BODY; the other, dveTcing line, drawn from me
anterior margin of the superior maXIlaTy over the
center of the frontal bones" Authors had established
the base line from the floor OF the nOstrls 10 the
articulation of the Occiptsl bone with the verteDral
column This was great error, for by adopting
this method>We are subject TO the enormous error of
so IN passing through the sub-kingdom all of
which lose, little by little as we ascend the scale
OF the animals of this type"
The face OF the lowest type, the fish, is on direct
line with the dOrsal surface of the animal while IN
the highest, that of man. 1T has made revolution of
1892 and il on line with the VentTal surface.
There Is direct relation between the power and
eompIcxity Of the mental manifestations and the
hearing of the line of the face to the dorsa and ven
tIal surfaces of the body.
Dr. Z. Andrews spoke of the subject OF the LOcss
and Bowlder Drift The latter he thought was salt
water deposit He had recently had specimens OF
tlis drift underlying Lake Michigan examined with
view 10 determine the point. The water OF the
lake had gr of common salt per gallon the water
of the artesian wells coming from beneath the drift
contained ID grs. per gallon, and the water found in
pockets in the clay itself III the drift contained II
CTs per gallon