bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On the oldest known British Crab (
Palæinachus longipes
) from the Forest Marble, Malmesbury, Wilts
Authors: Woodward Henry
Published: October 2009

I am indebted to my Mend Professor Thomas Bell, F.R.S., of the Wakes, Selborne, Hants, for the opportunity of describing this new and beautiful crustacean.

The specimen is from the Forest Marble of Malmesbury, and was discovered several years ago by the well-known collector of Oxford-Clay and Oolitic fossils, Mr. Wm. Buy. It will be seen to have nearly all its limbs
in situ
; and it shows the carapace with four segments of the abdomen united to it, resting upon a slab of Forest Marble covered with the remains of
Pentacrini, Acrosalenia hemicidaroides
, shells of
Avicula, Rhynchonella
, and traces of the drift-wood to which the Oolitic Pentacrinites (like the barnacles of our modern seas) were attached.

The limbs of this crustacean are extremely long and slender; and in this respect, and also in their form and in that of the carapace, with its remarkable prominent tubercles in front, it closely resembles the common “Spider Crabs” (the
Maiadœ
and
Leptopodidœ
) living on our own coasts at the present day, and the Great Japanese Crab, the
Inachus Kœmpferi
, of De Haan. The Upper White Jura of Germany has yielded carapaces of several minute Crustacea, which are either Brachyurous or Anomurous; but as no limbs or abdominal segments have been met with, it is more doubtful where to place them in a classification of the fossil forms.

Professor Reuss and H. yon Meyer have described three general and twenty-five species of these forms (some of which have been reproduced in Mr. Lowry's ‘Chart
Notes on the Species of the Genus Eryon, Desm., from the Lias and Oolite of England and Bavaria
Authors: Woodward Henry
Published: October 2009

The genus
Eryon
was established by Desmarest (in Brongniart and Desmarest's ‘Natural History of Fossil Crustacea:’ Paris, 1822) for certain forms of
Astacidœ
, with extremely broad and flat carapaces, found in the Lithographic stone of Solenhofen, one of the earliest known geological localities on the continent, and perhaps the most prolific in its yield of organic remains.

Only one species was then determined—the
Eryon Cuvieri
of Desmarest (
Macrourites arctiformis
of Schlotheim (1820),
Locusta marina
of Bajer (1757), and first figured by Knorr and Walch in 1755). Since that time Herr Germar, Count Minister, H. von Meyer, Professors M'Coy and Quenstedt have each contributed new species. Lastly, the late Dr. Albert Oppel, of the Royal Bavarian Museum, Munich, a Foreign Correspondent of this Society (whose early death we must all lament), has collected, revised, and added to our knowledge of this genus, so that in 1862 (the date of his book) the list of recorded species amounted to fourteen.

Professor M'Coy was the first to record an English species of this genus, the
Eryon Barrovensis
, from the Lias of Barrow-on-Soar,Leicestershire. [See the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History,’1849, p. 172.] But as his description varies in some points and is unaccompanied by a figure, I have ventured to delineate it by the help of the fine examples in the cabinet of the Rev. P. B. Brodie, F.G.S., and those in the British Museum. I also subjoin arevised description of it, and notices of other British species of this genus from
Notes relating to the Discovery of Primordial Fossils in the Lingula-flags in the Neighbourhood of Tyddyngwladis Silverlead Mine
Authors: Plant John
Published: October 2009

The author recorded in this paper the discovery, during the autumn of 1865, of fossils at Tyddyngwladis in beds belonging to the Lingula-flags or Primordial zone, and partly referable to species known to occur in other parts of Wales on the same horizon.

A detailed examination of the district, undertaken by the author and Mr. E. Williamson, has enabled them to draw a section extending from the junction of the Lower and Tipper Cambrians at Cefn Deuddwr to the base of Craig-y-Dinas, which was described in detail by the author.

The following list of the fossils found in the various divisions of the Lingula-beds adopted by the author, and arranged in their order of sequence, commencing with the lowest, have been prepared, after Mr. Salter's examination of the collection.
On the Metamorphic Lower Silurian Rocks of Carrick, Ayrshire
Authors: Harkness R.
Published: October 2009

I. Introduction

The metamorphic region which forms the subject of this communication was traversed by Sir Roderick Murchison, accompanied by Professor J. Nicol, in 1850; and the former geologist subsequently published the results of that journey, in a memoir upon the geology of the South-western Highlands of Scotland; but as the end Sir Roderick had in view was mainly to ascertain the structure of the strata and determine their position, his allusions to the metamorphic rocks are necessarily brief. In the spring of 1865 the Geological Survey was extended into the southern regions of Ayrshire, and thus afforded my colleagues (Dr. Young and Mr. A. Geikie) and myself ample facilities for a more minute examination of the beds in question. We recognized the metamorphic character of certain diorites, serpentines, and crystalline felspathic rocks, independently of each other; and in the area that fell to me to survey I was enabled to trace passages between the various altered rocks, which seem to throw light upon the obscure process of metamorphic action. The interest which is attached to the altered strata of this district chiefly consists in the fact that they exhibit certain arrested stages of metamorphic action, so that we can in many instances begin with unaltered beds and trace the gradual changes which they undergo during their passage into crystalline and pseudo-igneous rocks. The large masses of amygdaloid indicated upon the sketch map which accompanies Sir Roderick's memoir, notwithstanding their exceedingly igneous aspect, are nevertheless, as will be shown, not of
On the Structure of the Red Crag
Authors: Wood S. V.
Published: October 2009

Mr. Prestwich has, I believe, for several years inclined to the opinion that the Red and Fluviomarine Crags are coeval; but, so far as I am aware, he has not expressed that opinion in print. In 1863 my son had arrived at a similar conclusion; and in a paper by him, published in the ‘Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.’ for March 1864, he showed that the Chillesford beds overlie alike both the Red and Fluviomarine Crags, and that the Red Crag itself was not all of one age, but divisible into distinct portions, the uppermost of which he regarded as newer than the Fluviomarine, and intermediate in age between it and the Chillesford beds.

In December 1864 another paper by my son was read before this Society (but was afterwards withdrawn, and an epitome of it, together with a map of the Upper Tertiaries of the East of England, printed for private circulation), wherein he contended that the so-called Weybourne Crag, the Cromer Boulder Till, and the Contorted Drift formed a separate series, to which he assigned the term “Lower Drift,” and that this in common with the Red and Fluviomarine Crags was overlain by the great body of sands which intervene between the Crag and the Boulder-clay, and to which he applied the term “Middle Drift,” distinguishing the Boulder-Clay as the “Upper Drift.”

In November 1865 a paper, by the Rev. O. Fisher, was read before this Society (and published in their ‘ Quarterly Journal,’ Feb.1866), wherein he contended
Note on Supposed Remains of the Crag on the North Downs near Folkestone
Authors: Bristow H. W.
Published: October 2009

On
my return to London, after an excursion made in May 1857, in company with Sir Charles Lyell, Professor Ramsay, and Messrs. Prestwich and Godwin-Austen, to the district of Kent, from which fossils had been got which were thought to be of the age of the Crag, I made a memorandum on the subject, of which the following is a copy:—

“With regard to the sands, &c., seen at Paddlesworth and elsewhere, accompanied by thin bands of iron-grit, I have seen nothing from which it would be at all reasonable to infer that the beds in question were any other than those of the Lower Tertiary (that is, of the Woolwieh and Reading series), occurring in their proper position on the denuded surface of the Chalk.

“Beds like the Paddlesworth ferruginous sands':occur in the Hampshire Basin, where a part of the Woolwich and Reading series is represented by ferruginous clayey sands, with masses of ferruginous grit, &c*. Another strong resemblance is also borne by these last beds to those of Paddlesworth in the red colour of the sands, as may be observed more particularly at Whiteparish, in Wiltshire, where it would seem that when the mottled clays are replaced by sands the colouring matter is often persistent although the mineral character of the rock varies. With regard to the greater development of ferruginous grit at Paddlesworth, that alone is not enough to afford reliable evidence one way or the other, and in either case it might be a mere local
On the Warp (of Mr. Trimmer)—its Age and probable Connexion with the Last Geological Events
Authors: Fisher O.
Published: October 2009

I am not aware that any geologist since the late Mr. Trimmer has devoted a paper to the elucidation of the subject of what he has called the “warp” or the “warp of the drift”. In his paper “On the Soils of Kent” he lamented the slight attention that had up to that time been paid to “the period which intervened between the desiccation of the bed of the glacial sea and the commencement of the historic era of geology.” Had Mr. Trimmer lived until the present day, he would have seen the earlier part of that period receive at least its due share of attention. The closing portion of it, which saw the formation of that warp or subsoil on which the fertility of our fields chiefly depends, has not, so far as I know, received any particular attention since Mr. Trimmer's valuable labours were pre-maturely terminated.

My attention has for some time past been attracted to this subject, and in my paper on the Brick-pit at Lexden I hinted at its importance as containing records of the latest geological changes.

Mr. Trimmer appears not to have arrived at any satisfactory conclusion as to the causes which have produced the warp. He says, “The majority of soils and subsoils in the British Isles are composed only in part of the débris of the rocks on which they rest, and in part of materials transported from various distances by forces of considerable intensity, differing from ordinary atmospheric action, which were
On Fossil Chelonians from the Ossiferous Caves and Fissures of Malta
Authors: Adams A. Leith
Published: October 2009

Remains of more than one species of River-tortoises have turned up occasionally in the Maltese caves and fissures of the downcast and denuded districts, in localities situated from three to six miles and a half apart, and always associated with remains of the fossil Elephant,
Hippopotamus Pentlandi, Myoxus Melitensis
, and Birds— the last, chiefly aquatic, including the
Cygnus Falconeri
of Parker, besides a
Lacerta
, of about the dimensions of the common Chameleon, and one or more Frogs. The nature and arrangement of the deposits and conditions of this fossil fauna clearly show that all the remains had for the most part been conveyed into the above situations by the agency of large bodies of water which at one time overflowed the greater portion of the eastern half of Malta. None of the Chelonian bones examined by me give indications of the presence of either land or marine species, but agree in their characters with the Elodians and Potamians. The largest comprise part of the right and left femurs of perhaps the same individual, a detached lower extremity of a humerus, several tibiæ, and one cervical vertebra from Mnaidra Gap, besides a large caudal vertebra from Benghisa Gap, which is six miles distant from the former, and situated at the extreme southeast point of the island, I also observed fragments of bones of individuals equal to, if not somewhat larger than, any here described; also a portion of a humerous of a species of very much smaller size. A glance at
On the Affinities of
Chondrosteus
, Ag.
Authors: Young John
Published: October 2009

The object of this communication was to show, from the characters of the skeleton, that
Chondrosteus
belongs not to the Chondrostean division of the ganoids as stated by Agassiz, but to the Holostean division, since it possesses a well-ossified basioccipital; and the lateral walls of the cranium are composed of bones answering to the cartilage bones of ordinary Teleosteans.
On Supposed Glacial Markings in the Valley of the Exe, North Devon
Authors: Whitley N.
Published: October 2009

I
n
a late paper on the grouping of the rocks of North Devon, Professor Jukes mentions some glacial grooves observed by him in the valley of the Exe. The interest attached to this subject in such a country induced me to visit the spot; and in driving down the valley I found the “grooved” rocks about half a mile above Barlynch Abbey, and on the north face of a projecting tongue of hard purple grits. Two separate portions of the rock were deeply indented; and the long straight furrows, like a bold cornice of a room, might, on a hasty view, be set down as large glacial striæ; a nearer inspection, however, soon dispels this opinion.

1. The “grooves” (I use the term for convenience) are not
parallel to the bottom of the valley down which the glacier was
supposed to slide, nor do they on the two pieces of rock run in the
same direction (fig. 1).

2. The “grooves” may be traced into, and under, a portion of the overlying rock;
and it becomes obvious that they were exposed, not by the action of ice grinding down the overlying
rock, but by the tool of the workman removing the rock above in order to form the new road cut as a
bench along the steep hillside.

3. The cross section of the beds, of which I give an enlarged sketch (fig. 2), shows that the
“grooves” are formed by the minor folds of the
On Disturbance of the Level of the Land near Youghal, on the South Coast of Ireland
Authors: Wynne A. B.
Published: October 2009

T
he
region which has undergone recent disturbance in the neighbourhood of Youghal is a part of that referred to in Prof. Jukes's able paper read before the Geological Society “Upon the Mode of Formation of some of the River-Valleys in the South of Ireland” (see Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xviii. p. 378, 1862) with a map, to which I refer more particularly, as upon it Youghal Bay, at the mouth of the river Blackwater, will be found marked.

In this paper (p. 398) is the following:—“The South of Ireland, however, seems to have been exposed as dry land ever since the close of the Palæozoic epoch, with the single exception of the depression which it suffered beneath the sea during the Pleistocene or Glacial period.” To some time during this Glacial period, therefore, evidences of disturbance of level might be referred if they consisted of nothing more than the usual phenomena connected with the Glacial Drift. It will be seen, however, from what follows, that considerable alterations of level have taken place along the coast of Youghal Bay subsequently to the formation of the recent peat which so commonly covers the Glacial Drift of Ireland.

The occurrence of submerged peat beneath Youghal Strand is mentioned at some length by Dr. Charles Smith in his ‘History of Cork,’ 1749, book ii. chap. 1, where it is recorded that “good turf is dug every season, and also great quantities of timber trees, as fir, hazel, &c.,” from beneath the strand, and
On the Geology of the Princes Islands, in the Sea of Marmora, Turkey
Authors: Swan W. R.
Published: October 2009

1.
Introduction
.—It was during a visit to Prinkipo, the largest of the Princes Islands, in the summer of 1864, that I first had an opportunity of studying the geological features of that island; and the discoveries I then made were of so interesting a character as to induce me to continue the examination of the remaining eight islands.

Before going into a detailed account of each island, I will here relate some of the chief points of interest met with, namely:—

(1.)

The existence of a considerable tract of Devonian strata, partly fossiliferous, in several of these islands, of an age different from that of the beds of the Bosphorus, which latter I have already shown, in a former paper to the Geological Society†, to belong to the lowest of the Devonian series of the Rhine. Also the existence of the remains of “fish” in the above strata, and an ancient “coral reef.”

(2.)

That the rocks which form the remaining portions of these islands are trachytic, and of younger age than the Devonian strata.

(3.)

That the trap rocks of these islands are of younger age than the trachytic.

(4.)

That the quartz rocks, of which some of the islands are largely, and some entirely composed, are altered sandstones of Devonian age, which clearly explains the occurrence of similar quartz rocks on the Bosphorus, which are seen in the mountains of Bulgurlou and Tchemlidja, behind Scutari, and referred to by Mr. Hamilton in his “Observations on the
The Graptolites of the Skiddaw Series
Authors: Nicholson Henry Alleyne
Published: October 2009

I. I
ntroduction
.

T
he
Skiddaw Slates form the base of the great Silurian series of the north of England, and comprise a group of rocks entirely without admixture with interstratified igneous matter, attaining a thickness of about 7000 feet, as calculated by Prof. Harkness. Lithologically the series consists essentially of dark indurated shales, with a distinct cleavage, “having intercalated through them coarser strata, almost devoid of cleavage, possessing a flaggy nature, and affording fossils”‡. No distinct subdivisions can be drawn either on stratigraphical or on palæontological grounds, the beds being everywhere conformable and of nearly similar lithological aspect, while most of the characteristic fossils are found throughout. The upper beds of the series, however, are more shaly, softer, and darker in colour than the lower, whilst the peculiar genera
Dichograpsus
and
Tetragrapsus
do not seem to be represented in them, and there is a slight admixture of Upper-Llandeilo types.

When the Skiddaw Slates were first studied by Professor Sedgwick, two Graptolites, and some obscure tracks (the so-called “
fucoids
”) constituted all their known organic remains; and the group was therefore considered by him the probable equivalent of the Longmynd or Cambrian Formation (see Synopsis Brit. Pal. Foss. Introduction, p. xxi). Since then, however, and mainly by the researches of Prof. Harkness, we have become acquainted with a large, if not very varied, falma from the Slates, and we are thereby enabled to refer the entire group with certainty to the age of the Lower Llandeilo rocks. At home the Skiddaw Slates have
On the Dentition of
Rhinoceros Etruscus
, Falc.
Authors: Dawkins W. Boyd
Published: October 2009

1.
Introduction
.—The dentition of three* of the fossil species of Rhinoceros has already been defined, and there remains only that of the fourth or Etruscan to complete the odontography of those members of the genus that inhabited Britain during the Pleistocene period. Some years ago Dr. Falconer, along with M. Lartêt, had detected in the collections of Mammalia from the Forest-bed, and especially in that made by the Rev. John Gunn, teeth which clearly were neither Megarhine nor Leptorhine. Similar teeth he also found in Italy and Spain, and from their abundance in the former country he named the animal to which they belonged
Rhinoceros Etruscus
. Unfortunately its description was prevented by his sudden death; and the only authentic memorials consist of names attached to specimens in various museums, and of a few fragmentary notes which were dictated to the Rev. S. W. King, and which are printed at the feet of these pages†. At the time of Dr. Falconer's death there were not sufficient materials in Britain for an accurate specific determination; now, however, they are afforded by the entire molar series, except the first premolar of the lower jaw, forwarded to me by the kindness of the Rev. S. W. King, F.G.S. Specimens from France have also been sent me by M. Lartêt; and others have been discovered in the British Museum. I am therefore in a position to complete the odontography of a species about which less is accurately known than any other ranging through southern Europe.
On the Origin of Smoothed, Rounded, and Hollowed Surfaces of Limestone and Granite
Authors: Mackintosh D.
Published: October 2009

T
he
author, believing that late discussions on denudation have reached a stage which requires that the respective claims of rain-water and sea-waves to mould rock-surfaces should, as far as possible be set at rest, proceeds to state the results of his observations as follows:—

“Unless rain-water be retained for a certain length of time in previously formed hollows, it can exert little or no chemical influence on rock-surfaces; and therefore the principal, if not all, the inequalities found on the sloping or vertical sides of fragments, blocks, or faces of rock must be either the original fractured surfaces, or produced by some kind of mechanical action. Rain-water, uncharged with solid matter, such as sand, can exert little or no mechanical power on hard rocks. The chemical action of rain-water can enlarge previously formed hollows; and where retained for a sufficient time, it can dissolve out fossils, and develope the structural form of rocks. Rain-water, not concentrated into streams of sufficient force, can never, either chemically or mechanically, produce a smooth and regular surface by shaving away hard and soft parts alike, or by cutting equally through crystals of a different nature, but must always leave a surface minutely corresponding to the denudability of the parts (of the crystals) of rocks; it can only roughen, or leave a surface more or less zigzag in profile. In Devonshire and elsewhere, on all granites used in building, atmospheric weathering leaves a surface rough in proportion to the size and varied nature of the crystals, and never a smooth or uniformly curve outline.”
On a Striking Instance of Apparent Oblique Lamination in Granite
Authors: Mackintosh D.
Published: October 2009

I
n
this paper the author draws attention to the resemblance, at first sight, presented by many of the tors and cliffs of granite on Dartmoor, to the forms assumed by the Millstone-grit in yorkshire, and states that, among the former, the apparent lines of lamination and stratification are often as distinctly marked as in the latter. His object, however, is not to defend a theory, or to deny that certain granites may he of directly igneous origin and intrusive, but to bring into notice several phenomena in which the
linear structure
of granite seems to suggest the idea of original aqueous deposition:—(1) a semidetached portion of one of the ranges of cliffs called Hountor Rocks, in which there is the appearance of strata embracing laminæ, the second stratum obliquely denuded, a third thrown down on an inclined plane, and horizontal deposition resumed in the fourth or uppermost stratum; (2) the Kestor Hock, near Chagford, the apparent lamination of which is, in several places, obliquely crossed by fractures of the nature of joints; (3) the Blackenstone Rock, which presents a very regular series of beds; (4) the Hey Tors, especially the western boss of rock, in which two very different kinds of granite are separated by a distinct line parallel to the lines of apparent lamination and stratification below and above.
On the Structure of the Crag-beds of Norfolk and Suffolk, with some observations on their Organic Remains.—Part I. Coralline Crag
Authors: Prestwich Joseph
Published: October 2009

T
he
history of the division of the several crag-deposits into three formations (the Mammaliferous, Red, and Coralline Crags) having been recounted, the author states that for the last thirty years the evidence of their sequence has remained unaltered, the distinction between the Mammaliferous and Red Crags being still purely palæontological, not a single case of superposition having been discovered. Mr. Prestwich then proceeds to the special object of this paper, which is to describe more fully the physical structure of the several crags, and to determine, if possible, the exact relation which the Suffolk Craffs bear to the Crag of Norfolk.

Commencing with the Coralline Crag, the author states that the well-known outlier at Sutton furnishes a base-line and the best clue to its structure and dimensions, showing also the depth to which it has been denuded and replaced by the Red Crag. The Coralline Crag is generally described as consisting of two divisions:—an upper one, formed chiefly of the remains of Bryozoa; and a lower one, of light-coloured sands with a profusion of shells: and the author now gives their exact dimensions and his proposed subdivisions, as follows:
On the Death of Fishes on the Coast of the Bay of Fundy
Authors: Adams A. Leith
Published: October 2009

W
hen
engaged in a shooting-expedition in the forests of South-western New Brunswick at the entrance of the Magaguadavic River, I had my attention directed to an extraordinary occurrence which took place on the 24th of September, 1867, in one of the numerous inlets or creeks in the Devonian and Silurian beds that constitute the chief geological formations of this portion of the coast-line of the Bay of Fundy. Andersen's Cove, as it is called, is a small bay to the west of the mouth of the above-named river, and at the entrance of a valley, down which runs an insignificant stream emptying into a muddy lagoon about 1200 feet in circumference at high water. This lagoon is oval-shaped, the small end communicating with Anderson's Cove by means of a narrow and rocky channel at its eastern extremity. A sea-wall, formed of rocks, stranded logs, and lumber piled in confused masses, intervenes between the cove and the lagoon in front; so that the only direct communication is by the passage just mentioned. The area thus enclosed forms a large lake at high tide, into which the waves rush and retire with great force, whilst at ebb tide the water is shallow, forming a muddy morass of about half the dimensions already given. On the 24th of September, during a heavy gale from the west, impinging almost straight on the entrance to the lagoon, and whilst the sea was running high, enormous numbers of small fishes were observed floating dead on the
On Volcanoes in the New Hebrides and Banks's Islands
Authors: Atkin Joseph
Published: October 2009

B
etween
166° and 170° east long., and the parallels of 13° and 21° south lat., is the chain of volcanic islands called the New Hebrides. The Banks's are another small group to the north, and the Torres are five low islands to the north-west. Of the New Hebrides, Tanna, Lopevi and Ambrym are now active volcanoes; of the Banks's Islands, Santa Maria and Great Banks's Island.

At Great Banks's Island there are boiling springs, and a great number of little vents discharging hot sulphureous vapour. At Santa Maria there is only one of these. A great part of the interior of the large island of Ambrym seems perfectly bare of vegetation. The present volcanic action is on the east slope. No crater can be seen, but all the active eruption is in a part two or three miles in extent. It seems to be constant, and violently active. There does not seem to have been any lava-stream recently; but the whole western coast of the island is formed of large irregular masses of lava. There is a fringing reef of coral on the eastern side of Santa Maria, and a short one at the north end of Ambrym.

The Island of Lopevi is not more than two miles and a half long, and is upwards of 5000* feet high; from some points it appears as a perfect cone. It was not known to be active until 1863, when its peak, formerly quite sharp, appeared to have been broken off, and
On the Disposition of Iron in variegated Strata
Authors: Maw George
Published: October 2009

O
f
those secondary changes which have modified the original chemical and physical constitutions of rocks none seem to have more largely affected their aspect than the recombinations and rearrangement of iron.

In continuation of this subject, treated of in a short paper read before this Society last year*, the following communication records some further observations on those forms of ferruginous variation which appear to have been due to secondary causes, subsequent to original mechanical deposition.

1.
Literature
.—It may be convenient in the first place to give a short résumé of the previous geological and chemical papers that directly refer to, or bear on the subject.

Sir Henry James, in a short paper dated May the 15th 1846, published in the ‘London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical
Magazine’ for July 1843, notices that the disposition of the bluish-green
discoloration of the Old and New Red Sandstones is independent
of stratigraphical arrangement, and suggests that, as the light
lines and blotches are generally adjacent to joints, the cause of the
discharge of colour is due to infiltration. The author, in a note to
this paper, also refers to an observation by Mr. Mallet, that “if
through a fissure in a rock containing peroxide of iron a stream of
water should pass containing an earthy sulphate and organic matter,
the sulphate will be decomposed, and sulphuretted hydrogen evolved,
which might reduce the peroxide of iron to a lower oxide.” With
reference to this suggestion, I will here only observe that the presence
of sulphate
On the Older Rocks of South Devon and East Cornwall
Authors: Holl Harvey B.
Published: October 2009

I
n
the course of last year I made an examination of the older rocks of South Devon and the adjacent portions of Cornwall, for the purpose of ascertaining the stratigraphical relations of the different beds, or groups of beds, with a view to their coordination with the more complete and better-known series in the northern part of the county. I was led to undertake this in the belief that, notwithstanding the many memoirs that have appeared on Devonian Geology, there was still a very great difference of opinion among geologists respecting the relations of the beds on the south side of the Calm-measures; and any one who is acquainted with the literature of the subject will, I think, admit the fact. Indeed the late Sir Henry De la Beche, subsequently to his last essay in the first volume of the Memoirs of the Geological Survey, regarded the succession of the rocks as still unravelled, and expressed his intention of taking an early opportunity of revising this portion of his labours*.

Many of the difficulties which stood in the way of the pioneers of Devonian geology have long since been cleared away, more especially by the publication of the Geological Survey-maps of Devon and Cornwall, the general accuracy of which is all the more remarkable as it was the first attempt at anything in equal detail in this country; and a great step was made towards a better understanding of the structure of the Devonian country when Prof. Sedgwick and Sir
On the Quaternary Gravels of England
Authors: Tylor Alfred
Published: October 2009

M
r.
Tylor first compares the gravels of the Aire Valley at Bingley, of the Taff Vale between Quaker's Yard Junction and Aberdeen Junction, and of the Valley of the Rhonda near its junction with the Taff. He then describes the cave-section of Bacon Hole, Gower, and the sections exposed at Crayford, Erith, and Salisbury, comparing the angles of deposition of gravel-beds concealing the escarpment of the Chalk in these last three localities with the same conditions at Brighton and Sangatte.

By comparing the gravel-beds at different levels, and upon strata of different age and configuration, he shows in what respect they differ from each other. The bulk and height of the Quaternary deposits have strengthened the conviction which he expressed in his previous paper (on the Amiens Gravel), that there was a long period, reaching nearly to the Historical epoch, in which the rainfall was excessive, and which he termed the “Pluvial period.”

These sections also lead the author to the following conclusions:—(1) That the débris was deposited by land-floods, and that the mode of deposition was quite distinct from that of moraines produced by the melting of ice. (2) That the character of the deposits in the valleys of the Aire, Taff, and Rhonda proves that they were formed under similar conditions. (3) That these gravel-beds point to a Pluvial period of great intensity and duration. (4) That the ice-action of which there is evidence was subordinate to the aqueous action. (5) That the fossiliferous Quaternary deposits have been best preserved where they have been formed in cavities lying between the edge of the bank of a river, estuary, or sea and an escarpment running parallel with it at no great distance. (6) That the immediate source of the gravels was the high land adjoining the rivers, whence they have been washed down by rain, with the assistance of lateral streams, into the lower ground, where they had come into contact with larger quantities of running water, had been mixed with rolled materials, and spread in thick beds over the bottoms and slopes of valleys or the sides of escarpments. (7) That the surface of such a deposit rarely slopes at more than from 2° to 4° while the slope of the beds lower in the series nearer the escarpment averages 12° The escarpment is usually concealed under a coating of gravel or loess.
On the eruption of the Kaimeni of Santorin
Authors: Schmidt J. S. Julius
Published: October 2009

D
uring
my first journey to Santorin, in February and March 1866, I communicated a general outline of this remarkable eruption, which commenced at the end of January 1866, and has since been visited and described by observers from different parts of Europe. These include the members of the Athens Commission, Messrs. Fouqué and Tauzen, Baron von Seebach, and Messrs. Fritsch, Reiss, and Stübel. From time to time information has been received on the subject, and everything has tended to show the extreme desirability of accurate measurements. Up to the close of 1867 the eruption continued without a day's (perhaps without an hour's) intermission. There has also been no cessation in the growth of the lava-deposit on the south side of the Nea Kaimeni, and there seems every probability that some years may elapse before the volcanic energy of the island will have altogether died out.

On the 4th January 1868 I arrived at Santorin, in the Austrian gunboat “Dalmat,” commanded by Baron Wickede. We anchored at Bancho, a little to the east of Mikra Kaimeni. Here we remained until the evening of the 9th January, and were fortunate enough to complete our observations in very fine weather.

For want of instruments, my own observations were limited to temperature and to taking sketches of the recent formations. Many hours, both of the day and night, were occupied in determining the exact nature of the eruptions of the George volcano, and in approximately making out their periodicity.

The most essential part of
On the Characters of some new Fossil Fish from the Lias of Lyme Regis
Authors: Egerton Philip Grey
Published: October 2009

O
f
all the noted localities for fossil remains in Great Britain not one exceeds Lyme Regis for the number, variety, and interest of the forms of ancient life which have been there discovered. Ever since the earliest results of Miss Mary Anning's extraordinary success in collecting remains of extinct animals were made known, scarcely a year has passed without some revelation of Liassic times having been elicited by the assiduity of the collectors in that far-famed locality. Of fish alone we now reckon thirty-one distinct genera, comprising seventy-nine species; and of the latter not more than two or three have been clearly identified as occurring elsewhere. The following is a short description of some of the novelties which have occurred in the last year or two. As the specimens are large and worthy of full pictorial illustration, the more detailed account will be reserved for one of the forthcoming Decades of the Memoirs of the Geological Survey.

O
steorachis macrocephalus
, gen. et spec. nov., Egerton.

The description of this new genus is taken from three specimens in the collection of the Earl of Enniskillen. The most remarkable features in them are the massive dimensions, and complete ossification, of the bodies of the vertebræ; and these have sugwested the generic appellation. They all appear to belong to one species, characterized by the large size of the head and the multiplicity of the teeth. It is quite possible that a small fragment of a jaw in the same collection, named by Professor Agassiz
On a New Species of Fossil Deer from Clacton
Authors: Dawkins W. Boyd
Published: October 2009

1.
Introduction
.—In the collection of fossil mammals found in the freshwater deposits of Clacton by Mr. John Brown, of Stanway, and now in the British Museum, is a series of antlers, forty-one in number, which Mr. Davies could refer to none of the fossil species of the genus
Cervus
. A careful examination has convinced me of the truth of his conclusion, and that they indicate a species of deer hitherto unknown, not only in Britain but also on the Continent. For it I propose the name
Cervus Browni
in memory of Mr. John Brown, to whose indefatigable labour in collecting fossils we owe very much of our knowledge of the Pleistocene Mammalia. Dr. Falconer, whose attention was directed by Mr. Davies to some of these antlers, considered them to belong to a species distinct from the Axis of the Crag and Forest-bed *, being unaware at the time that the nearly perfect antler, Plate XVII. fig. 4 (which shows that the Clacton deer had no affinities with any round-antlered deer), belonged to the series of fragments which he inscribed in his note-book as those of
Cervus Clactonianus
, and considering that the antler in question, which is taken as the type of the species, belonged really to
Cervus dama
*. I have therefore felt justified in designating the species after its discoverer, whose name has been as yet ignored in terminology, instead of adopting Dr. Falconer's manuscript name, which he never attempted to define.

Evidence derived from antlers is, in the
On a New Species of Deer from the Norwich Crag
Authors: Dawkins W. Boyd
Published: October 2009

1.
Introduction
.— The cervine antlers from the Crag and Forest-bed are so various in form, and for the most part so fragmentary, and the collections from the Miocene and Flioeene strata of France and Germany contain so many species of deer, that the utmost caution is necessary in establishing a new species. There is, however, one antler preserved in the British Museum, obtained by Mr. Wigham from the Norwich Crag, that in its remarkable form stands aloof from those hitherto known, and merits a careful examination. Dr. Falconer, prevented by his sudden death from following up the stddy of the Miocene and Pliocene antlers, has left behind sketches* of some of the more remarkable forms, which I have found of the greatest value in working at the Cervid~e. The antler it. question did not escape his notice; and therefore I propose for it, in his memory, the specific name of Cervus Falconeri.

2.
Description
.—The antler (P1. Xu figs 9,10,11) is a shed one of the left side, with its base slightly waterworn, and presenting a rounded section. There is no trace of a burr; but it may possibly have been worn away. The brow-tyne (b)is given off at a distance of 1·9 inch above the base, on the outer side, at a very obtuse angle to the basal part, and at right angles to the main body of the beam. At its point of junction with the beam it is oval in section; but it seems to recover the rounded
On
Dakosaurus
from the Kimmeridge Clay of Shotover Hill
Authors: Mason J. Wood
Published: October 2009

T
he
Kimmeridge Clay of Shotover Hill has yielded five specimens of the teeth of this reptile, now for the first time represented as a British genus. After noticing the bibliography of the subject, and the presence of specimens in various museums, the author proceeds to describe the characters of the teeth. They are large, conical, incurved, and slightly recurved, having two sharp, prominent, crenulated, longitudinal ridges, which are situated midway between the convex and concave curvatures.

This reptile is regarded by the author as foreshadowing the form of dentition that characterizes the existing group of
Varanidœ
. If the materials were at hand for a complete definition of its comparative osteology,
Dakosaurus
would probably exhibit a combination of Lacertilian and Crocodilian characters, but with the crocodilian elements predominant.
Note on a Geological Reconnaissance made in Arabia Petræa in the Spring of 1868
Authors: Bauerman H.
Published: October 2009

T
he
following communication is of an essentially unsystematic nature. Owing to the small amount of country traversed, it has not been possible to construct anything more than a single line of section, which it is believed will be more acceptable as a contribution to exact Geology than an attempt to frame a general geological map of the whole country from observations made at only a few points. The order followed is, therefore, that in which the sections were observed, making it, as the title implies, more of a geological itinerary than a systematic description.

The country included in the description is that between Suez and the lower part of Wady Ferran, the crystalline rocks of Sinai and the Tertiary beds near Túr being reserved for another communication, as I have not sufficient time at command to describe them in the present paper.

General Outline
.—As regards its physical outline, the western side of the peninsula of Arabia Petræa, or that part of it under immediate consideration, between Suez on the north and Túr on the south, along the coast of the Red Sea, together with the high ground behind, up to the culminating point of the country on the ridge of Sinai, may be best described as forming a series of comparatively level masses, arranged in steps or table-lands varying in height according to their distance from the coast. Through these steps have been cut a number of valleys, comparatively deep and of tortuous course, the general level of the plains
Notes on some Specimens of Nummulitic Rocks from Arabia and Egypt
Authors: Jones Rupert
Published: October 2009

Mr. H. B
auerman
having requested me to examine a series of typical specimens of the Nummulitic rocks brought by him from the East, I append the following remarks on eight specimens, including a Strontian crystal, containing some Nummulites and other organisms, from near Cairo.

Specimen No. 1. “S. of Wady Gharandel, 7 April, 1868.” (Greyish brown asphaltic Nummulitic limestone, weathering white.) Mainly composed of
Nummulitic Ghyzensis
*, large and small, with
N. curvispira
and
N. Ramondi
.
Serpula
present.

No. 2. “Asphalt rock, S. of Wady Gharandel, 7 April.” Like No. 1, but browner. Contains
N. Ghyzensis
(large and small), pieces of Conchifera, and small fragments of Echinoderms.
Serpula
also is present.

No. 3. “Asphalt Rock, S. of Wady Gharandel, 7 April.” Lightbrown rock (weathering white), in which
Nummulina Ghyzensis
is abundantly visible throughout, together with
Serpulœ
and some fragments of Echinoderms.

No. 4. “Asphalt Rock, S. of Wady Gharandel, 7 April.” A piece of thin-bedded (half–inch) light-brown limestone, weathering grey on the planes of bedding, and there showing its granular structure and the organic fragments of which it is mainly composed. On one face is a small
Ostrea
, with
Nummulina Ramondi
.
N. intermedia
and pieces of
Pecten
(?) and of Echinoderms are seen in the mass.

No. 5. “Asphalt Rock, near Gharandel, 7 April.” No definite organic remains are visible in this brown rock. It has the darkest colour of all the specimens. By treatment with acid, it is found to contain 90 per cent. of carbonate of lime and 10 per
On
Hyperodapedon
Authors: Huxley T. H.
Published: October 2009

A
little
more than ten years ago, namely, on the 15th December 1858, Sir R. Murchison read a paper “On the Sandstones of Elgin” before this Society. It was followed by an essay of my own “On the
Stagonolepis Robertsonii
,” an animal so named by Prof. Agassiz in his ‘Poissons fossiles du Vieux Gès Rouge’ from some impressions of its dermal covering which had been discovered in the Elgin sandstones. In the latter paper, and in notes added to both papers, before their publication in the middle of the following year, the fact that
Stagonolepis
was a reptile closely allied to the Mesozoic
Crocodilia
, though distinct from any known form of that age, was for the first time asserted, and, indeed, I may say, demonstrated, the remains placed in my hands enabling me to put the fact beyond doubt. At the same time I mentioned the existence in the same beds of “a Saurian reptile about 6 feet long, remarkable for the flattened or slightly concave articular surfaces of the centra of its vertebræ, and for its well-developed costal system and fore and hind limbs, but more particularly characterized by its numerous series of subcylindrical palatal teeth.” I named this new reptile
Hyperodapedon Gordoni
, in honour of its discoverer, the Rev. Dr. Gordon, to whose exertions in the Elgin country geology owes so much: and I stated that “its marked affinity with certain Triassic reptiles, when taken together with the resemblance of
Stagonolepis
to Mesozoic
Crocodilia
, lead one to require
On the Succession of Beds in the “New Red” on the South Coast of Devon, and on the Locality of a New Specimen of
Hyperodapedon
Authors: Whitaker William
Published: October 2009

T
he
following account of the successive beds that are shown in the “New Red” cliffs of South Devon, is from notes taken during a holiday-walk along that coast last September, and it has been drawn up at the request of Prof. Huxley, in order to mark the stratigraphical place of the
Hyperodapedon
jaw from near Budleigh Salterton.

I believe that the only paper Which treats of the order of these beds is a full report of two lectures by Mr. Pengelly, F.R.S.* To this I refer the reader for a more detailed account of the composition of the various “red rocks.”

Owing to the dip, lower and lower beds rise to the surface southwestward, so that an almost continuous section is given.

The occurrence of the uppermost part of the “New Red” near the eastern boundary of the county, and its passage upwards into the Lias, have been noticed by Sir H. De la Beche †, and more fully by Mr. Pengelly‡; but the cliffs here are so much hidden by fallen masses, that little is to be seen below the “White Lias” until we pass to the west of the great landslip of 1839 at Dowlands. The cliff is then clearer, and shows a set of evenly-bedded greenish clays, with black shales, stone-beds, and layers of hard marl (Rhætic Beds). Here Mr. Pengelly found the well-known bone-bed. Lower down some of the layers of clay have a reddish colour; and there is a passage downwards into “New Red” marl,