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deposited at or near the surface. It was objected that the tubes formed by roots would be closed in by lateral creep and not from above. This, it may be here remarked, would depend upon whether the lower part of the root decayed before the upper part, or whether the decay proceeded from the surface downward. It would also depend upon whether the exterior of the roots rotted first or whether the bark resisted decay longest, leaving the interior, at a certain stage, practically hollow. It would appear that this subject has not received adequate attention, and that careful investigations respecting the growth and decay of roots in such situations should be made, and the possibilities of intrusion by means of them carefully determined. Reference was also made to the possibilities of intrusion through the agency of a similar succession of generations of burrowing animals. In view of the fact that in the paper under discussion only about twenty flaked stones of artificial origin were insisted upon as occurring deep within the gravels, the question of the possibilities of intrusion assumes very considerable importance. A certain amount of intrusion can fairly be claimed as probable. The vital question is, Can it be presumed to account for all cases not otherwise accounted for?
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The admirable address of the retiring President of the American Association, Dr. LeConte, appears in this number of the Journal and needs no comment. We hope to publish Vice-President Walcott's address in our next number.
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The Woman's Section of the Geological Congress at Chicago, assembled on Monday, August 21, and held short sessions throughout the week. The following is the list of papers:
Methods of Teaching Geology, by Miss Mary Holmes, Ph.D., Rockford, Ill.; Physical Geology, by Miss Mary K. Andrews, Belfast, Ireland; Chemical Geology, by Miss Louise Foster, Boston, Mass.; Granites of Massachusetts and Their Origin, by Mrs. Ella F. Boyd, Hyde Park, Mass.; Artistic Geology, by